# 2022–23 VCU Rams men's basketball team

The 2022–23 VCU Rams men's basketball team represented Virginia Commonwealth University during the 2022–23 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. They were led by sixth-year head coach is Mike Rhoades and played their home games at the Siegel Center in Richmond, Virginia as a member of the Atlantic 10 Conference. They finished the season 27–8, 15–3 in A-10 play to win the regular season championship. They defeated Davidson, Saint Louis, and Dayton to win the A-10 tournament championship, their first since 2015. As a result, they received the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA tournament as the No. 12 seed in the West region. There they lost to Saint Mary's in the first round.
On March 29, 2023, head coach Mike Rhoades left the school to take the head coaching position at Penn State. That same day, the school named Utah State head coach Ryan Odom the team's new coach.

## Previous season

The Rams finished the 2021–22 season 22–10, 14–4 in A-10 play to finish in a tie for second place. As the No. 3 seed in the A-10 tournament, they lost in the quarterfinals to Richmond. The Rams received an at-large bid to the National Invitation Tournament, their first since 2008, where they defeated Princeton before losing to Wake Forest in the second round.

## Offseason
### Departures

| Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Notes |
| Vince Williams Jr. | 10 | F | 6'6" | 205 | Senior | Toledo, Ohio | Declared for NBA draft; selected 47th overall by the Memphis Grizzlies |
| KeShawn Curry | 11 | G | 6'4" | 180 | Senior | Jacksonville, Florida | Graduated |
| Marcus Tsohonis | 5 | G | 6'3" | 190 | Junior | Portland, Oregon | Transferred to Long Beach State |
| Jimmy Nichols Jr. | 55 | F | 6'8" | 225 | RS Junior | Conway, South Carolina | Transferred to Coastal Carolina |
| Hason Ward | 20 | F | 6'9" | 215 | Junior | Saint Thomas, Barbados | Transferred to Iowa State |
| Levi Stockard III | 34 | F | 6'8" | 240 | Graduate Student | St. Louis, Missouri | Graduated |
| Mikeal Brown-Jones | 2 | F | 6'8" | 220 | Sophomore | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | Transferred to UNC Greensboro |

### Incoming transfers

| Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Previous school |
| Zeb Jackson | 5 | G | 6'5" | 180 | Junior | Toledo, Ohio | Transferred from Michigan |
| Brandon Johns Jr. | 30 | F | 6'8" | 240 | Graduate Student | Lansing, Michigan | Transferred from Michigan |
| David Shriver | 35 | G/F | 6'6" | 220 | Senior | Philippi, West Virginia | Transferred from Hartford |

### 2022 recruiting class

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes :
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | Commit date |
| Alphonzo Billups III G/F | Richmond, VA | Varina High School | 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) | 180 lb (82 kg) | Nov 11, 2020 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN grade: 82 ||||||
| Christian Fermin F | Tobyhanna, Pennsylvania | Pocono Mountain West High School | 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) | 215 lb (98 kg) | Nov 11, 2020 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN grade: 82 ||||||
| Toibu Lawal F | London, England | Lee Academy (Maine) | 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) | 200 lb (91 kg) | Apr 18, 2021 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ||||||
| Obinnaya Okafor F | Hampton, Virginia | Bethel High School (Virginia) | 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) | 216 lb (98 kg) | Apr 18, 2021 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ||||||
| Overall recruiting rankings: ||||||
| Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources: "VCU 2022 Player Commits". ESPN.com. Retrieved September 13, 2022. "2022 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved September 13, 2022. ||||||

## Schedule and results

The Rams placed third in the Legends Classic.
| Date time, TV | Rank$^#$ | Opponent$^#$ | Result | Record | High points | High rebounds | High assists | Site (attendance) city, state |
| Exhibition |||||||||
| October 29, 2022* 7:00 p.m. | | Shippensburg | W 88–53 | | 15 – DeLoach | 5 – DeLoach | 7 – Baldwin Jr. | Siegel Center (5,108) Richmond, VA |
| Non-conference regular season |||||||||
| November 7, 2022* 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | Manhattan | W 73–56 | 1–0 | 15 – Baldwin Jr. | 9 – DeLoach | 9 – Baldwin Jr. | Siegel Center (7,344) Richmond, VA |
| November 12, 2022* 7:00 p.m., MASN/ESPN+ | | Morgan State | W 69–54 | 2–0 | 15 – Johns Jr. | 9 – Watkins | 5 – Baldwin Jr. | Siegel Center (7,125) Richmond, VA |
| November 16, 2022* 8:30 p.m., ESPN+ | | vs. Arizona State Legends Classic semifinal | L 59–63 | 2–1 | 13 – Nunn | 8 – DeLoach | 5 – Nunn | Barclays Center (5,778) Brooklyn, NY |
| November 17, 2022* 7:00 p.m., ESPN2 | | vs. Pittsburgh Legends Classic third place game | W 71–67 | 3–1 | 18 – Johns Jr. | 9 – Johns Jr. | 3 – Jackson | Barclays Center Brooklyn, NY |
| November 20, 2022* 5:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | at Memphis | L 47–62 | 3–2 | 14 – Watkins | 10 – Watkins | 3 – Watkins | FedExForum (10,653) Memphis, TN |
| November 26, 2022* 4:00 p.m., MASN/ESPN+ | | Kennesaw State | W 64–61 | 4–2 | 24 – Nunn | 7 – Johns Jr. | 4 – Jackson | Siegel Center (6,807) Richmond, VA |
| November 30, 2022* 7:00 p.m., CBSSN | | Vanderbilt | W 70–65 | 5–2 | 28 – Baldwin Jr. | 6 – DeLoach | 4 – Baldwin Jr. | Siegel Center (7,117) Richmond, VA |
| December 3, 2022* 1:00 p.m., ESPNU | | at Temple | L 73–83 | 5–3 | 16 – Tied | 6 – DeLoach | 9 – Baldwin Jr. | Liacouras Center (4,094) Philadelphia, PA |
| December 7, 2022* 7:00 p.m., MASN/ESPN+ | | Jacksonville | L 62–73 | 5–4 | 20 – Johns Jr. | 6 – Nunn | 4 – Baldwin Jr. | Siegel Center (7,015) Richmond, VA |
| December 11, 2022* 7:00 p.m., MASN/ESPN+ | | Howard | W 70–60 | 6–4 | 16 – Johns Jr. | 7 – Johns Jr. | 2 – Tied | Siegel Center (7,220) Richmond, VA |
| December 14, 2022* 7:00 p.m., MASN/ESPN+ | | Radford | W 70–62 | 7–4 | 18 – Johns Jr. | 11 – Watkins | 6 – Baldwin Jr. | Siegel Center (7,314) Richmond, VA |
| December 17, 2022* 4:00 p.m., MASN/ESPN+ | | Northern Illinois | W 90–63 | 8–4 | 22 – Watkins | 9 – DeLoach | 8 – Baldwin Jr. | Siegel Center (6,817) Richmond, VA |
| December 21, 2022* 7:00 p.m., MASN/ESPN+ | | Navy | W 74–52 | 9–4 | 18 – Tied | 6 – Tied | 8 – Baldwin Jr. | Siegel Center (7,214) Richmond, VA |
| Atlantic 10 regular season |||||||||
| December 31, 2022 2:00 p.m., MASN/ESPN+ | | La Salle | W 80–67 | 10–4 (1–0) | 19 – Baldwin Jr. | 13 – DeLoach | 6 – Baldwin Jr. | Siegel Center (7,323) Richmond, VA |
| January 4, 2023 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | at Duquesne | L 70–79 | 10–5 (1–1) | 22 – Johns Jr. | 6 – Johns Jr. | 2 – Baldwin Jr. | UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse (2,087) Pittsburgh, PA |
| January 7, 2023 12:00 p.m., USA | | Davidson | W 89–72 | 11–5 (2–1) | 19 – Baldwin Jr. | 4 – Johns Jr. | 8 – Baldwin Jr. | Siegel Center (7,107) Richmond, VA |
| January 10, 2023 7:00 p.m., CBSSN | | at Loyola Chicago | W 78–64 | 12–5 (3–1) | 16 – DeLoach | 7 – DeLoach | 8 – Baldwin Jr. | Joseph J. Gentile Arena (2,249) Chicago, IL |
| January 13, 2023 9:00 p.m., ESPN2 | | at Dayton | W 63–62 | 13–5 (4–1) | 18 – Shriver | 8 – DeLoach | 4 – Baldwin Jr. | UD Arena (13,407) Dayton, OH |
| January 17, 2023 7:00 p.m., NBC Digital | | UMass | W 83–55 | 14–5 (5–1) | 19 – DeLoach | 12 – DeLoach | 5 – Jackson | Siegel Center (7,225) Richmond, VA |
| January 20, 2023 7:00 p.m., ESPN2 | | at Richmond Capital City Classic | W 74–62 | 15–5 (6–1) | 15 – Watkins | 10 – Watkins | 5 – Baldwin Jr. | Robins Center (7,201) Richmond, VA |
| January 25, 2023 7:00 p.m., MASN/ESPN+ | | George Mason Rivalry | W 72–52 | 16–5 (7–1) | 13 – Shriver | 9 – Baldwin Jr. | 7 – Baldwin Jr. | Siegel Center (7,637) Richmond, VA |
| January 28, 2023 6:00 p.m., CBSSN | | St. Bonaventure | L 58–61 | 16–6 (7–2) | 15 – Baldwin Jr. | 12 – DeLoach | 6 – Baldwin Jr. | Siegel Center (7,637) Richmond, VA |
| January 31, 2023 7:00 p.m., CBSSN | | at Davidson | W 61–59 | 17–6 (8–2) | 14 – Baldwin Jr. | 9 – DeLoach | 7 – Baldwin Jr. | John M. Belk Arena (3,179) Davidson, NC |
| February 3, 2023 7:00 p.m., ESPN2 | | at Saint Louis | W 73–65 | 18–6 (9–2) | 37 – Baldwin Jr. | 11 – DeLoach | 3 – DeLoach | Chaifetz Arena (9,230) St. Louis, MO |
| February 7, 2023 7:00 p.m., CBSSN | | Dayton | L 58–62 | 18–7 (9–3) | 14 – Baldwin Jr. | 9 – DeLoach | 3 – Baldwin Jr. | Siegel Center (7,637) Richmond, VA |
| February 15, 2023 7:00 p.m., MASN/ESPN+ | | at Rhode Island | W 55–54 | 19–7 (10–3) | 17 – Johns Jr. | 5 – Johns Jr. | 4 – Baldwin Jr. | Ryan Center (4,229) Kingston, RI |
| February 18, 2023 2:30 p.m., USA | | Fordham | W 80–61 | 20–7 (11–3) | 17 – Kern Jr. | 8 – DeLoach | 10 – Baldwin Jr. | Siegel Center (7,637) Richmond, VA |
| February 21, 2023 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | at Saint Joseph's | W 88–63 | 21–7 (12–3) | 31 – Nunn | 7 – Tied | 3 – Nunn | Hagan Arena (1,398) Philadelphia, PA |
| February 24, 2023 7:00 p.m., ESPN2 | | Richmond Capital City Classic | W 73–58 | 22–7 (13–3) | 18 – Baldwin Jr. | 9 – Watkins | 8 – Baldwin Jr. | Siegel Center (7,637) Richmond, VA |
| February 28, 2023 7:00 p.m., CBSSN | | Saint Louis | W 79–67 | 23–7 (14–3) | 14 – DeLoach | 7 – Tied | 6 – Baldwin Jr. | Siegel Center (7,637) Richmond, VA |
| March 4, 2023 4:30 p.m., USA | | at George Washington | W 74–68 | 24–7 (15–3) | 17 – Johns Jr. | 10 – Johns Jr. | 7 – Baldwin Jr. | Charles E. Smith Center (3,712) Washington, D.C. |
| A-10 tournament |||||||||
| March 9, 2023 11:30 a.m., USA | (1) | vs. (8) Davidson Quarterfinals | W 71–53 | 25–7 | 11 – Tied | 9 – Kern | 6 – Baldwin Jr. | Barclays Center (5,680) Brooklyn, NY |
| March 11, 2023 1:00 p.m., CBSSN | (1) | vs. (4) Saint Louis Semifinals | W 90–78 | 26–7 | 18 – Nunn | 9 – Johns Jr. | 6 – Baldwin Jr. | Barclays Center (10,156) Brooklyn, NY |
| March 12, 2023 1:00 p.m., CBS/Paramount+ | (1) | vs. (2) Dayton Championship | W 68–56 | 27–7 | 16 – Baldwin | 10 – DeLoach | 7 – Baldwin | Barclays Center (8,162) Brooklyn, NY |
| NCAA tournament |||||||||
| March 17, 2023* 2:00 pm, TBS | (12 W) | vs. (5 W) No. 19 Saint Mary's First Round | L 51–63 | 27–8 | 13 – Baldwin Jr. | 7 – Nunn | 3 – Baldwin Jr. | MVP Arena Albany, NY |
| *Non-conference game. $^#$Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. All times are in Eastern Time. |||||||||
Source: