Catholic 7 12th member

[vcuboy22]

Just saying the difference between us and Mason is that we are capatilizing on our Final Four success unlike Mason who didnt do much to capatalize on their success.... And I really do feel like Shaka will stay for a longer time since the program has been going up... And I love Marquette actually and might even apply there so I hope VCU gets in on conference with u guys.... Also i feel like we are way more attractive than St. Louis just saying... Fox likes VCU I hope  

[vcuboy22]

Just wondering is the final spot just between VCU and St.Louis..... Is Dayton automatically in the new C7 conference

[Bocephys]

Just wondering is the final spot just between VCU and St.Louis..... Is Dayton automatically in the new C7 conference

Not if this board has its way.  But really no one knows.

[DCRAM]

So I posted this over on the Providence boards and I think it belongs here as well. There's a lot of misconception on this board about VCU's basketball program so I thought I'd give you all a VCU 101 guide...

While we've been good for the last 10 years, we were also a very bigtime basketball program in the 80s too.

For example, did you know that VCU highest seen in the tournament was a #2 seed? Did you know that Louisville and VCU were in the same conference in the early 90s?


VCU Basketball Program 101

We are the largest school in the State of Virginia with over 31k students (grad included). We play in a multi-use arena named the Verizon Wireless Arena at the Siegel Center that holds around 7,700 people. We hold the 11th-highest home court winning percentage in Division I basketball with a winning percentage of 85.79 and a record of 165-27.
We're currently on a 28 consecutive home game sell out streak, 5th longest in the nation behind Duke, Kansas, Michigan State and Gonzaga. We've also already sold out the rest of the 2012-13 season. We have the best winning percentage in the State of Virginia over the last 12 years. Tech or UVA don't come close. A large majority of our students come from Northern VA, so we have a pretty large alumni base in the DC area as well as in Richmond. We're also in the process of building a brand new 12+ million dollar state of the art basketball practice facility.

VCU Conference History:
We originally played in the Sun Belt conference in the early years with teams like South Alabama, Western Kentucky, UAB, Jacksonville, Charlotte, ect. In 1991 we switched to the Metro Conference that included teams such as Louisville, Virginia Tech, Southern Miss, ect. When conference realignment occurred in 1995,the Metro merged with the Great Midwest Conference to form Conference USA. Unfortunately, we were not invited to this new conference and had to join the CAA. We were a top notch program back then and it took us nearly a decade to recover and get us back to relevancy.

NCAA Tournament History:
1979-80: We were a 12 seed and lost to Iowa in the first round
1980-81: We were a 5th seed and got to the second round were we lost to #4 Tennessee by 2
1982-83: We were a 5th seed and got to the second round were we lost to #4 Georgia by 2
1983-84: We were a 6th seed and lost to #3 Syracuse in the second round
1984-85 We were a 2 seed, the highest seed we've ever had. We were upset by #7 Alabama in the second round by 4
1995-96: Were a 12 seed and lost to Mississippi State in the first round
2003-04: Were a 13 seed and played #4 Wake Forest lead by Chris Paul in the first round. We lost by 1 point.
2006-07: We beat Duke in the first round on an Eric Maynor jumper with 1.7 seconds left known as the "Dagger". We lost to #3 Pitt in the second round in overtime.
2008-09: We lost to UCLA by 1 in the first round. We were an 11th seed, UCLA a #6 seed.
2010-2011: Final Four run
2011-2012: Beat #5 seed Wichita State in the first round and lost to Indiana in the second round by 2

RPI #s:
VCU has finished in the top 100 of the RPI every season and never lower than 89 over the last 10 seasons.

2002-03: 86
2003-04: 54
2004-05: 89
2005-06: 81
2006-07: 42
2007-08: 54
2008-09: 50
2009-10: 66
2010-11: 49
2011-12: 38

Average RPI in the Capel era: 77.5
Average RPI in the Grant era: 48.7
Average RPI in the Smart era: 51

Overall average RPI over the last 10 seasons: 60.9

Notable Players:
Calvin Duncan - drafted in the 1985 NBA Draft , 2nd round, the 30th overall pick
Gerald Henderson – played 13 years in the NBA. His son, Gerald Henderson Jr, played for Duke and was drafted 12th overall in 2009
Rolando Lamb – 64th overall pick in 1985. His son, Jeremy Lamb, played for UCONN and was the 12th overall pick in the 2012 draft
Eric Maynor – 20th pick in the 2009 draft
Larry Sanders – 15th pick in the 2010 draft

[JTBMU7]

Just wondering is the final spot just between VCU and St.Louis..... Is Dayton automatically in the new C7 conference

that seems to be the overwhelming assumption. nothing has actually been annouced yet, but that's what has been leaked from their meetings.

IN: Dayton, Creighton, X and Butler, then either VCU or SLU.

the arguments for VCU are all basketball related, the arguments for SLU are more about tv markets/jesuit school/etc...

most hoops fans want VCU over Dayton and SLU, but a group of Catholic school presidents will probably decide otherwise.

[vcuboy22]

If its us and the Slu for the last spot I really like our chances just bc we have a bigger brand than them.... I hope I am right though

[LloydMooresLegs]

Thanks, DCRAM

[vcuboy22]

Not if this board has its way.  But really no one knows.

VCU has more votes on this page lmao haha

[umwram]

Welcome.    Thanks for that tidbit.   What are the rumors and innuendo among VCU devotees?    Does your fanbase want to join the BEast Breakaway 7?   Is Shaka a long-termer?    By the way, you guys look to be playing solid ball again this year.  

Thanks!  First time in the Top 25 since 1985 (back when it was just the Top 20), so today was a good day for us all.  

As a fanbase, I would say we definitely want to join you guys, especially if we join alongside Xavier and more importantly, Butler (who the more passionate fans feel a sense of camaraderie with).  Though some in our fanbase would like to see VCU add football, I don't think that's going to happen any time soon, so our goal is now and has always been to play the best basketball possible.  Joining the A-10 did a lot to further that goal, and as I see it joining a 12 team C7 (I don't think Fox will let you stay at 10) would work wonders for it at well.  Shaka has always said that he loves it as VCU in part because the administration shares his goals of advancing us as far as possible in men's basketball.  And I mean it when I say this it is humbling even being mentioned - a year ago this time we were still in the CAA!

As for the UNJ-H - sorry.  I forgot not everyone knows the intricacies of our rivalry with our brothers in the county.  Henrico is the county adjacent to Richmond City where the other University resides, and since the majority of their student body is composed of New Jerseyans or New Yorkers looking to drag their carpet bags south, we decided on a more appropriate name than University of the City Adjacent to Campus.

[Bocephys]

VCU has more votes on this page lmao haha

I was referring to the Dayton piece, but I did not make that clear anywhere except my head.  Sorry about that.

[vcuboy22]

Just saying I dont want football at all

[vcuboy22]

I was referring to the Dayton piece, but I did not make that clear anywhere except my head.  Sorry about that.

Ha you are good but man will they annouce C7 members soon... or will it be at the end of the season

[Litehouse]

We're also in the process of building a brand new 12+ million dollar state of the art basketball practice facility.

I don't mean to nit-pick (even though I am) and I really appreciate all the rest of the info, but can it really be "state of the art" if you're only spending $12M on it?  The Al was over $30M and that was 10 years ago.  I just feel like I've just seen this "state of the art practice facility" thing thrown around way too much lately.

Honest question though, what's your arena situation like?  I see it seats 7,700, but is it on-campus?  Why would you spend that much on a practice facility and not put it toward an entire arena with a higher capacity?

[Pakuni]

I don't mean to nit-pick (even though I am) and I really appreciate all the rest of the info, but can it really be "state of the art" if you're only spending $12M on it?  The Al was over $30M and that was 10 years ago.  I just feel like I've just seen this "state of the art practice facility" thing thrown around way too much lately.

Honest question though, what's your arena situation like?  I see it seats 7,700, but is it on-campus?  Why would you spend that much on a practice facility and not put it toward an entire arena with a higher capacity?

In all fairness, the Al is a lot more than a practice facility, in that it also features a 4,000-seat arena, houses the entire athletic department, a weight room, an academic center, etc.
I'd bet you can get a really, really nice practice facility for $12 million.

[Aughnanure]

Just wondering is the final spot just between VCU and St.Louis..... Is Dayton automatically in the new C7 conference

They should be if we're not going west (Gonzaga). They've worked hard and care deeply about their basketball - and that's important in this new league. I don't see how we can't include a team that fills a 13,000+ seat arena for every game.

They're never bad either, just haven't hit that lucky(ish) run of success to build on in a while.

[Aughnanure]

As a fanbase, I would say we definitely want to join you guys, especially if we join alongside Xavier and more importantly, Butler (who the more passionate fans feel a sense of camaraderie with).  Though some in our fanbase would like to see VCU add football, I don't think that's going to happen any time soon, so our goal is now and has always been to play the best basketball possible.  Joining the A-10 did a lot to further that goal, and as I see it joining a 12 team C7 (I don't think Fox will let you stay at 10) would work wonders for it at well.  Shaka has always said that he loves it as VCU in part because the administration shares his goals of advancing us as far as possible in men's basketball.  And I mean it when I say this it is humbling even being mentioned - a year ago this time we were still in the CAA!

Why is this? You guys have never been in the same conference or anything.

As for the UNJ-H - sorry.  I forgot not everyone knows the intricacies of our rivalry with our brothers in the county.  Henrico is the county adjacent to Richmond City where the other University resides, and since the majority of their student body is composed of New Jerseyans or New Yorkers looking to drag their carpet bags south, we decided on a more appropriate name than University of the City Adjacent to Campus.

Gotcha. New Jerseyans are everywhere....

[Aughnanure]

most hoops fans want VCU over Dayton and SLU, but a group of Catholic school presidents will probably decide otherwise.

By 2 votes only (currently) though.

[tower912]

I would guess it is because they are both programs that have recently reached the final 4 after going through a long period being considered mid-major.

[Aughnanure]

VCU Conference History:
We originally played in the Sun Belt conference in the early years with teams like South Alabama, Western Kentucky, UAB, Jacksonville, Charlotte, ect. In 1991 we switched to the Metro Conference that included teams such as Louisville, Virginia Tech, Southern Miss, ect. When conference realignment occurred in 1995,the Metro merged with the Great Midwest Conference to form Conference USA. Unfortunately, we were not invited to this new conference and had to join the CAA. We were a top notch program back then and it took us nearly a decade to recover and get us back to relevancy.

You're embellishing a bit here.

[Litehouse]

If they have a problem with Richmond being a bunch of private school kids from someplace else, they're probably not going to get along that well with the rest of us.

[Aughnanure]

I would guess it is because they are both programs that have recently reached the final 4 after going through a long period being considered mid-major.

Still in it. ESPN has deduced and confined the term "major" to a football and BCS defined designation. Unfortunately.

[Pakuni]

Still in it. ESPN has deduced and confined the term "major" to a football and BCS defined designation. Unfortunately.

And ESPN is God.
A stupid, loud, Tim Tebow-loving God.

[psrichmond]

If they have a problem with Richmond being a bunch of private school kids from someplace else, they're probably not going to get along that well with the rest of us.

It's more of a cross-city rival than anything.

[Aughnanure]

And ESPN is God.
A stupid, loud, Tim Tebow-loving God.

Agreed, and unfortunately is the main portal to sports for 98% of the American population.

[RTutton]

I hope we don't have divisions. I lke getting home and homes with the east coast teams so I can make it to more games.

One concern I have with VCU is the market. VA sport coverage, at the college level is dominated by Virginia and Virginia Tech. The new conference may have a hard time gaining any traction down there. Richmond is ACC country.

Hi there. VCU alum here, hope you guys don't mind me chiming in. I'm not going to tell you how awesome and incredible VCU is, except to say you just have to experience it for yourself.

Let's talk TV ratings for a moment. SLU averages around a 1.0 TV rating in their home market. Last week VCU pulled in a 7.7 overnight against Dayton. If you're looking at market potential, then SLU is the better choice. But that's a risk trying to get a market that's already caught up in Mizzou and Illinois to buy into the program.

As it stands, VCU is outperforming SLU in their home market by about 35,000 households a game. That's because VCU owns the Richmond market. Not Virginia Tech or Virginia or Richmond. It's not even close. We sold out the entire season in August, which will take us to 35 consecutive sellouts by March. There are six Fortune 500 companies in RVA, and major corporate money is the reason why we're about to build a practice facility that's third only to Oklahoma State or Kentucky. An expansion on the Siegel Center is not far on the Horizon (pun intended).

All that being said, SLU is a great university with a very good program with a commitment to high level basketball. I'm sure they aren't going away soon, either.

We'd like to be in a top-tier basketball conference, whether that's the A10 with Georgetown, Marquette, etc or the new Big East. Either way, best of luck to your program.