DENVER — The VCU Rams were tossed all kinds of possible reasons why the BYU Cougars will have most of the advantages on Thursday when the Atlantic 10 champions face the Big 12’s third-place finisher (tied with Arizona) in an NCAA Tournament first-round game.

For instance:

• BYU (24-9) is accustomed to playing at elevation (4,551) in Provo, while VCU is not, as it is only 213 feet above sea level in Richmond, Virginia.
• Provo is a seven-hour drive from Denver, BYU fans are everywhere, and in Ball Arena there will be a sea of blue in the stands for the 2:05 p.m. MDT (approximately) tipoff in the Mile High City.
• BYU played in a more difficult conference, the Big 12, and faced a more rigorous schedule.
• BYU got a taste of the Big Dance last year — losing 71-67 to Duquesne — while the Rams missed the tournament last year after losing 63-51 to Saint Mary’s in a first-round game in 2023.

Suffice it to say, coach Ryan Odom — who spent two years in Logan coaching Utah State before heading back to his roots in the East — and his players were not biting on any of those potential excuses.

Special Collector’s Issue: “1984: The Year BYU was Second to None”

Get an inclusive look inside BYU Football’s 1984 National Championship season.

“This particular group is a confident group,” Odom said. “It is a connected group. We know we’re facing a great team that’s similar in a lot of ways. They play beautiful basketball.”

No. 6 seed BYU (24-9) vs. No. 11 seed VCU (28-6)

• Thursday, 2:05 p.m. MDT
• Denver, Colorado
• TV: TNT
• Radio: 107.9 FM

A 2.5-point underdog, VCU (28-6) has emerged as a trendy pick to pull off a first-round upset, although the Rams insisted Wednesday that they shouldn’t be given the underdog label.

“We just have to treat them like a brand new team,” said star VCU guard Max Shulga, who followed Odom from Utah State to Richmond. “We know that they shoot a lot of 3s, crash (the boards), stuff like that, throw extra passes. … I don’t think there are any similarities from the time when I played them last year to this year.”

Asked for his “immediate reaction” by Greg Wrubell of the BYU Radio Network when he saw he would be coaching against BYU again, Odom said it was one of surprise.

“Wow,” he said. “Obviously spent two great years in Utah and we played one another once down at your place in a tough game (a BYU win). I had caught BYU several times over the course of the season in the Big 12, and just really impressed with how they play.

“Obviously, diving into it and getting ready for the game here in preparation, even further cemented my feelings about how they play. They’re a really balanced team.”

Odom added that he’s just glad the game isn’t in BYU’s 18,000-seat Marriott Center.

“That’s an imposing place,” he said. “I know there will be a ton of Cougar fans here, as well. Not too far of a trip.”

As for the elevation difference and if it is “equitable or fair” that BYU is sent to a high-elevation city to face a sea-level team, Odom said he will never complain about an NCAA Tournament bid of any sort.

“It is what it is,” he said. “We are not concerned about it.”

Zeb Jackson, a 6-foot-5 transfer from Michigan, said the Rams have spent a lot of time working on conditioning in practice to prepare for it. He said they played at New Mexico (Albuquerque is at 5,312) and it “felt different the first day there,” but the Rams adjusted well.

New Mexico won that game, 78-71.

BYU will need better guard play in March Madness

BYU cools off, gets embarrassed by No. 2 Houston in Big 12 semis

BYU guard Dawson Baker, who spent three seasons at UC Irvine in Southern California, said the “altitude thing” is real, but often overstated.

“Sometimes you let that get into your head and distract you,” he said. “But yeah, we are blessed to be playing at a high altitude, just because we’re from Utah. But ultimately after you break into those first moments, you are in the emotion of the game and everything else takes over and there are no excuses after that.”

BYU’s Keba Keita is somewhat familiar with VCU, having faced the Rams in the NIT quarterfinals last year as a member of the Utah Utes. Keita had eight points and three rebounds in Utah’s win.

This is VCU’s 20th NCAA Tournament appearance. The Rams are 13-18 all-time in the Big Dance.

From left, Virginia Commonwealth Rams guard Joe Bamisile, guard Max Shulga, forward Jack Clark and guard Zeb Jackson field questions from reporters during a press conference held at Ball Arena in Denver, Colo., on Wednesday, March 19, 2025. | Isaac Hale, Deseret News

Virginia Commonwealth Rams guard Zeb Jackson speaks during a press conference held at Ball Arena in Denver, Colo., on Wednesday, March 19, 2025. | Isaac Hale, Deseret News

Virginia Commonwealth Rams guard Max Shulga speaks during a press conference held at Ball Arena in Denver, Colo., on Wednesday, March 19, 2025. | Isaac Hale, Deseret News

Virginia Commonwealth Rams head coach Ryan Odom speaks during a press conference held at Ball Arena in Denver, Colo., on Wednesday, March 19, 2025. | Isaac Hale, Deseret News