Everything you need to know about No. 6 BYU’s 1st round matchup against No. 11 VCU
The No. 6 seeded BYU Cougars are set to play No. 11 VCU in the first round of the NCAA tournament in Denver.
Here are the things you need to know about the matchup.
Head Coaches
Kevin Young - BYU (24-9 overall, 14-6 Big 12)
In his first season at the helm, Kevin Young leads BYU as one of the hottest teams in the country into his NCAA tournament appearance. The NBA system that Kevin Young has brought to college basketball is one of the most efficient offenses in BYU history.
Despite his first NCAA tournament experience, Young has coached in many big games in the NBA, including the 2021 NBA Finals, where the Phoenix Suns fell short to the Milwaukee Bucks in Game 7.
Ryan Odom - VCU (28-6 overall, 15-3 A-10)
Ryan Odom is in the NCAA Tournament history books as 16-seed UMBC’s head coach in 2018 as the Retrievers upset No. 1 Virginia, the first-ever No. 16 seed to upset a No. 1 seed in the history of the NCAA tournament.
Odom was then hired as the head coach at VCU in 2023 and in his second year in the program, helped VCU win its second A-10 tournament in three years.
NCAA Tournament History
BYU is entering its 32nd NCAA tournament appearance. In those appearances, the Cougars are 15-35. BYU currently holds the largest number of appearances without making the Final Four. The deepest run the Cougars have made was the Elite Eight as a No. 6 seed.
VCU is entering its 20th NCAA tournament appearance. The Rams have a record of 13-19. The deepest run VCU has made was a Final Four appearance as an No. 11 seed in 2011.
The battle between the lines
The biggest storyline of the game is at the 3-point line. BYU is 10th in the country in 3-point makes at 10.7 per game and 36th in the country at 3-point percentage shooting 37.1%.
VCU, on the other hand, defends the 3-point line extremely well, holding opponents to 30.4% from 3, good for 20th in the country.
The Rams play a physical style of defense that’s rated the 24th-best defense rating in the country according to Kenpom. Their physical style of play will look to dictate the tempo of the game.
The Cougars will look to counter that defense, like they have done against top defenses all year, with the 11th-best offensive rating in the country according to Kenpom.com.
National Predictions
According to ESPN, VCU has a 51% chance to win.
Other analysts, however, have the opposite. People like Andy Katz, Jay Bilas and others have BYU winning on Thursday.
The first-round game will tip at 2:05 PM MDT on TNT.