The 2010–11 VCU Rams men's basketball team represented
Virginia Commonwealth University
Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) is a Public university, public research university in Richmond, Virginia, United States. VCU was founded in 1838 as the medical department of Hampden–Sydney College, becoming the Medical College of Virgin ...
in the
Colonial Athletic Association
The Coastal Athletic Association (CAA), formerly the ECAC South Conference and the Colonial Athletic Association, is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference affiliated with the National Collegiate Athletic Association, NCAA' ...
during the
2010–11 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Rams, led by second-year head coach
Shaka Smart, played their home games at the
Stuart C. Siegel Center in
Richmond, Virginia
Richmond ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the Commonwealth (U.S. state), U.S. commonwealth of Virginia. Incorporated in 1742, Richmond has been an independent city (United States), independent city since 1871. ...
.
The Rams finished the season 28–12, 12–6 in CAA play and lost in the conference championship game of the
2011 CAA tournament to
Old Dominion. They received an at-large bid in the
2011 NCAA tournament where they defeated eleventh-seed
USC USC may refer to:
Education
United States
* Universidad del Sagrado Corazón, Santurce, Puerto Rico
* University of South Carolina, Columbia, South Carolina
** University of South Carolina System, a state university system of South Carolina
* ...
in the newly-established ''
First Four'' round. In the main bracket, they defeated
Georgetown and
Purdue
Purdue University is a public land-grant research university in West Lafayette, Indiana, United States, and the flagship campus of the Purdue University system. The university was founded in 1869 after Lafayette businessman John Purdue donat ...
in the second and third rounds, respectively, to advance to the ''Sweet Sixteen''. They defeated
Florida State
Florida State University (FSU or Florida State) is a Public university, public research university in Tallahassee, Florida, United States. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida and a preeminent university in the s ...
in overtime and advanced to the ''Elite Eight'', where they defeated the first-seeded
Kansas Jayhawks
The Kansas Jayhawks, commonly referred to as simply KU or Kansas, are the athletic teams that represent the University of Kansas. KU is one of three schools List of college athletic programs in Kansas, in the state of Kansas that participate in ...
. They advanced to the school's first ''Final Four'' in team history, becoming the third 11th-seed in tournament history to advance to the ''Final Four'', where they were defeated by the
Butler Bulldogs. The VCU Rams finished 6th in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll at the end of the season. This was the highest ranking in VCU's history and the highest ranking of any team from the CAA.
The 2011 NCAA tournament run by VCU is regarded by some as one of the best
Cinderella runs of all time by winning five straight upsets to make it to the Final Four. They were the first men's Division I basketball team that played in the First Four to make it to the Final Four and the first team in the tournament to win five games without qualifying for the national championship game, a feat which the
UCLA Bruins
The UCLA Bruins are the athletic teams that represent the University of California, Los Angeles. The Bruin men's and women's teams participate in NCAA Division I as part of the Big Ten Conference and the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF ...
duplicated in 2021.
Roster
Recruiting
Preseason
VCU was predicted to finish third in the
Colonial Athletic Association
The Coastal Athletic Association (CAA), formerly the ECAC South Conference and the Colonial Athletic Association, is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference affiliated with the National Collegiate Athletic Association, NCAA' ...
preseason polls, which was released October 19, 2010 in
Arlington, Virginia
Arlington County, or simply Arlington, is a County (United States), county in the U.S. state of Virginia. The county is located in Northern Virginia on the southwestern bank of the Potomac River directly across from Washington, D.C., the nati ...
. Senior guard Joey Rodriguez was selected to the preseason CAA first-team honors.
Schedule
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!colspan=12 style=, Exhibition
, -
!colspan=12 style=, Regular season
, -
, -
!colspan=12 style=,
CAA tournament
, -
!colspan=12 style=,
NCAA tournament
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Honors
Senior forward Jamie Skeen was named the Southwest Regional Most Outstanding Player. Skeen was also named to 2nd team All-
Colonial Athletic Association
The Coastal Athletic Association (CAA), formerly the ECAC South Conference and the Colonial Athletic Association, is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference affiliated with the National Collegiate Athletic Association, NCAA' ...
. Senior guard Joey Rodriguez was named to 3rd team All-
Colonial Athletic Association
The Coastal Athletic Association (CAA), formerly the ECAC South Conference and the Colonial Athletic Association, is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference affiliated with the National Collegiate Athletic Association, NCAA' ...
.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:2010-11 VCU Rams men's basketball team
VCU
VCU Rams men's basketball seasons
VCU
NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament Final Four seasons
VCU Rams
VCU Rams