VCU was the final A-10 team still playing basketball coming into tonights NIT Quarterfinal matchup with Utah. But the Utes home court advantage proved too much as the Rams post-season dreams came to a 74-54 halt.
Sean Bairstow led the Rams with 13 points on 6-of-14 shooting for the night.
He was the only Ram to score in double figures.
In their final game of the season, VCU was held to just 19 made field goals on 58 attempts from the floor.
The Rams were also held to just 19% from beyond the arc as they connected on just 5 of their 26 shots from range.
Utah's height in the paint was a key factor in their success during the game as they outrebounded the Rams 43-25 and scored 28 points in the paint.
That size in the paint also opened up the Utes outside shooting where they netted 13 of their 33 attempts from distance for a 39% clip rate.
Christian Fermin had a team high 9 rebounds to go with his 8 points from the floor.
Both teams turned the ball over 13 times, but the Utes owned a 20-19 advantage on points scored off turnovers.
Fats Billups came off the bench and made 2-of-3 from beyond the three point line; contributing to the 17 points scored by VCU's bench.
At the 5:57 mark of the first half, Zeb Jackson made a free throw to bring the Rams within 3 points of the Utes.
A triple from Utah at the halftime buzzer pushed the Utes lead back out to 10 points.
Despite scoring first out of the locker room, VCU was on the wrong end of a 25-9 run that would ultimately prove too much to over come.
The Rams finish the 2023-24 season as the final remaining team in the A-10 still playing basketball, and with a 24-14 overall and 11-7 conference record.
VCU will now look towards the offseason as recruiting and transfer portal candidates will emerge.
Sean Bairstow led the Rams with 13 points on 6-of-14 shooting for the night.
He was the only Ram to score in double figures.
In their final game of the season, VCU was held to just 19 made field goals on 58 attempts from the floor.
The Rams were also held to just 19% from beyond the arc as they connected on just 5 of their 26 shots from range.
Utah's height in the paint was a key factor in their success during the game as they outrebounded the Rams 43-25 and scored 28 points in the paint.
That size in the paint also opened up the Utes outside shooting where they netted 13 of their 33 attempts from distance for a 39% clip rate.
Christian Fermin had a team high 9 rebounds to go with his 8 points from the floor.
Both teams turned the ball over 13 times, but the Utes owned a 20-19 advantage on points scored off turnovers.
Fats Billups came off the bench and made 2-of-3 from beyond the three point line; contributing to the 17 points scored by VCU's bench.
At the 5:57 mark of the first half, Zeb Jackson made a free throw to bring the Rams within 3 points of the Utes.
A triple from Utah at the halftime buzzer pushed the Utes lead back out to 10 points.
Despite scoring first out of the locker room, VCU was on the wrong end of a 25-9 run that would ultimately prove too much to over come.
The Rams finish the 2023-24 season as the final remaining team in the A-10 still playing basketball, and with a 24-14 overall and 11-7 conference record.
VCU will now look towards the offseason as recruiting and transfer portal candidates will emerge.
