VCU was a 14 point favorite in the Wednesday night meeting in Williamsburg.  Clearly, whoever set that didn’t see the last meeting in Richmond that saw the Rams win an overtime thriller.

The Rams weren’t looking for something as dramatic this go around and would beat the Tribe, 87-78 making it an 8 game win streak.

The Tribe cut the Rams lead down to as close as 7 points in the final minutes on a Quinn McDowell three pointer but that’s as close as they would get to the Rams.

VCU saw 4 players scoring in double digits.  Sophomore Juvonte lead all Rams in scoring with 20 points while Troy Daniels added 16, Treveon Graham dropped in 13.

VCU sophomore Rob Brandenberg continued to play himself out of his recent slump dropping 17 points and 3 assists.

Coach Smart’s Havoc style defense forced 12 turnovers from the Tribe, 9 of those coming off of steals by VCU.  The Rams kept William & Mary stand out Quinn McDowell to just 8 points off of shooting 2 for 7 on the night.

The Rams move onto a 19-5 record and return to The Stu on Saturday as they host Northeastern as part of Homecoming weekend.

That’s right – VCU will be facing Northern Iowa which has an RPI rating of 57. This is good news for the Rams as fans cling on to hope of a possibility for another at-large bid to the NCAA tournament. If the Rams were able to win out the rest of the season, and beat Northern Iowa, they could find themselves appealing to the NCAA selection committee once again.

Northern Iowa boasts an overall record of 14-9, but has struggled in the Missouri Valley Conference, going 4-7 with a string of losses over the past 3 weeks.

VCU will host this PRIMETIME showdown which will be airing on Friday, February 17th at 7 PM. Go get your tickets at the box office and let’s make this one another sellout!

Redshirt freshman Heath Houston will need microfracture surgery on his right knee and will likely miss the remainder of season, VCU Assistant Athletic Director for Athletic Communications Scott Day said following Wednesday’s game.

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This is his second injury while with the Rams – last year he was redshirted due to a foot injury. We wish Heath well as he undergoes surgery and a long recovery process, and we really look forward to seeing him on the court next season.