2015–16 VCU Rams men's basketball team

The 2015–16 VCU Rams men's basketball team represented Virginia Commonwealth University during the 2015–16 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. It was the 48th season of the University fielding a men's basketball program. The program was led by Will Wade, who was leading the program for his first season after previously coaching Chattanooga. Wade replaced former head coach, Shaka Smart, who resigned from VCU for the vacancy at Texas.

2015–16 VCU Rams men's basketball
Atlantic 10 regular season co-champions
NCAA Tournament, Second Round
ConferenceAtlantic 10 Conference
2015–16 record25–11 (14–4 A-10)
Head coachWill Wade (1st season)
Assistant coaches
  • Rasheen Davis (1st year)
  • Wes Long (1st year)
  • Jamil Jones (1st year)
Home arenaStuart C. Siegel Center
2015–16 Atlantic 10 men's basketball standings
Conf  Overall
TeamW L PCT  W L PCT
Dayton14–4 .778  25–8  .758
VCU14–4 .778  25–11  .694
St. Bonaventure14–4 .778  22–9  .710
Saint Joseph's †13–5 .722  28–8  .778
George Washington11–7 .611  28–10  .737
Davidson10–8 .556  20–13  .606
Rhode Island9–9 .500  17–15  .531
Fordham8–10 .444  17–14  .548
Richmond7–11 .389  16–16  .500
UMass6–12 .333  14–18  .438
Duquesne6–12 .333  17–17  .500
George Mason5–13 .278  11–21  .344
Saint Louis5–13 .278  11–21  .344
La Salle4–14 .222  9–22  .290
† 2016 A10 Tournament winner

Led by a core of rising juniors and seniors, including Mo Alie-Cox and Melvin Johnson, the Rams finished the season 25–11, 14–4 in A-10 play to finish tied for the A-10 conference championship. They defeated Massachusetts and Davidson to advance to the championship game of the A-10 Tournament where they lost to Saint Joseph's.. The Rams receive an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament, making it their sixth-consecutive NCAA Tournament bid. The Rams were a #10 seed in the West Region. They defeated #7 seed Oregon State in the First Round before losing to Oklahoma in the Second Round.

Previous season

The Rams finished the 2014–15 season with a record of 26–10, 12–6 in A-10 play to finish tied for third-place. In the A-10 Tournament, the Rams won their first conference tournament championship since 2012 (while members of the Colonial Athletic Association), and their first A-10 title, defeating Dayton in the championship game. The Rams received the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament where they lost in the Second Round to Ohio State.

Departures
NameNumberPos.HeightWeightYearHometownNotes
Brianté Weber2G6'2"165SeniorChesapeake, VAGraduated
Treveon Graham21F/G6'6"220SeniorWashington, DCGraduated
Terry Larrier22F6'8"175FreshmanBronx, NYTransferred to Connecticut
Jarred Guest23F6'8"225SeniorColumbia, SCGraduated
Antravious Simmons25F6'9"250RS FreshmanMiami, FLTransferred to Florida Gulf Coast

Incoming Transfers
NameNumberPos.HeightWeightYearHometownPrevious School
Ahmed Mohamed23F6'9"245JuniorAlexandria, EgyptJunior college transferred from Lee College
Korey Billbury24G6'3"200RS SeniorTulsa, OKTransferred from Oral Roberts. Will be eligible to play immediately since Billbury graduated from Oral Roberts.

2015–16 team recruits
US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
Jonathan Nwankwo
PF		 Mount Vernon, NY Victory Rock Prep 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 240 lb (110 kg) Jun 5, 2015 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: 80
Samir Doughty
SG		 Philadelphia, PA Math, Civics and Sciences Charter School 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 180 lb (82 kg) Jun 4, 2015 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: 76
Gerron Scissum
SF		 Huntsville, AL Lee High School 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 190 lb (86 kg) Apr 21, 2015 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals: N/A   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: 0
Overall recruiting rankings:
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

  • "2015 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved August 12, 2015.

    Roster
    2015–16 VCU Rams men's basketball team
    PlayersCoaches
    Pos.#NameHeightWeightYearHometown
    G 1 JeQuan Lewis 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)180 lb (82 kg) Jr Dickson, TN
    G 2 Samir Doughty 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)175 lb (79 kg) Fr Philadelphia, PA
    G 3 Jordan Riullano (W) 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)185 lb (84 kg) Fr Bronx, NY
    F 4 Justin Tillman 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)215 lb (98 kg) So Redford, MI
    G 5 Doug Brooks 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)195 lb (88 kg) Jr Lake Wales, FL
    G 10 Jonathan Williams 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)185 lb (84 kg) So Newark, NJ
    F 11 Michael Gilmore 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m)215 lb (98 kg) So Tallahassee, FL
    F 12 Mo Alie-Cox 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)250 lb (113 kg) RS Jr Middleburg, VA
    G 14 Torey Burston (W) 5 ft 8 in (1.73 m)180 lb (82 kg) RS Jr Richmond, VA
    G 20 Jordan Burgess 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)225 lb (102 kg) RS Jr Midlothian, VA
    F 22 Gerron Scissum 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)210 lb (95 kg) Fr Huntsville, AL
    F 23 Ahamad Hamdy Mohamed 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)230 lb (104 kg) Jr Alexandria, Egypt
    G 24 Korey Billbury 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)210 lb (95 kg) RS Sr Tulsa, OK
    G 32 Melvin Johnson 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)190 lb (86 kg) Sr Bronx, NY
    F 33 Johnathan Nwankwo 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)245 lb (111 kg) Fr Bronx, NY
    Head coach
    Assistant coach(es)
    Legend
    • (C) Team captain
    • (S) Suspended
    • (I) Ineligible
    • (W) Walk-on

    Roster

    Schedule

    [1]

    Date
    time, TV    		 Rank# Opponent# Result Record High points High rebounds High assists Site (attendance)
    city, state
    Exhibition
    November 6, 2015*
    7:00 pm    		 California (PA) W 96–60   
    		  21 – Johnson  11 – Billbury  7 – Lewis  Siegel Center (7,637)
    Richmond, VA
    Non-conference regular season
    November 13, 2015*
    7:00 pm, WTVR 6.3    		 Prairie View A&M
    2K Sports Classic    		 W 75–50  1–0
    		  13 – Tied  11 – Tillman  7 – Lewis  Siegel Center (7,637)
    Richmond, VA
    November 16, 2015*
    7:00 pm, CSNMA    		 Radford
    2K Sports Classic    		 W 92–74  2–0
    		  24 – Johnson  8 – Alie-Cox  8 – Lewis  Siegel Center (7,637)
    Richmond, VA
    November 20, 2015*
    7:30 pm, ESPN2    		 vs. No. 5 Duke
    2K Sports Classic semifinals    		 L 71–79  2–1
    		  20 – Johnson  8 – Tillman  6 – Lewis  Madison Square Garden (18,238)
    New York City, NY
    November 22, 2015*
    3:30 pm, ESPN2    		 vs. Wisconsin
    2K Sports Classic    		 L 73–74  2–2
    		  21 – Johnson  8 – Mohamed  3 – Burgess  Madison Square Garden (17,287)
    New York City, NY
    November 25, 2015*
    7:00 pm    		 American W 72–44  3–2
    		  13 – Johnson  14 – Tillman  3 – Tied  Siegel Center (7,637)
    Richmond, VA
    November 28, 2015*
    4:00 pm, CSNMA    		 Old Dominion
    Rivalry    		 W 76–67  4–2
    		  16 – Lewis  6 – Hamdy-Mohamed  3 – Tied  Siegel Center (7,637)
    Richmond, VA
    December 2, 2015*
    8:00 pm, FSN    		 at Middle Tennessee W 62–56  5–2
    		  19 – Johnson  7 – Tied  5 – Johnson  Murphy Center (8,882)
    Murfreesboro, TN
    December 6, 2015*
    2:00 pm, ESPNU    		 vs. Florida State
    Philips Arena Showcase    		 L 71–76  5–3
    		  36 – Johnson  7 – Gilmore  4 – Lewis  Philips Arena (1,789)
    Atlanta, GA
    December 15, 2015*
    9:00 pm, ESPN2    		 at Georgia Tech L 64–77  5–4
    		  18 – Tillman  7 – Alie-Cox  4 – Lewis  McCamish Pavilion (5,219)
    Atlanta, GA
    December 19, 2015*
    4:00 pm, CBSSN    		 No. 23 Cincinnati L 63–69  5–5
    		  22 – Billbury  9 – Billbury  4 – Lewis  Siegel Center (7,637)
    Richmond, VA
    December 22, 2015*
    7:00 pm, CSNMA    		 Buffalo W 90–69  6–5
    		  22 – Johnson  6 – Billbury  4 – Williams  Siegel Center (7,637)
    Richmond, VA
    December 27, 2015*
    5:00 pm, WTVR    		 Liberty W 85–57  7–5
    		  15 – Johnson  11 – Tillman  3 – 3 tied  Siegel Center 
    Richmond, VA
    December 30, 2015*
    7:00 pm, WTVR    		 North Florida W 80–68  8–5
    		  23 – Johnson  9 – Burgess  10 – Lewis  Siegel Center (7,637)
    Richmond, VA
    Atlantic 10 regular season
    January 3, 2016
    5:00 pm, CBSSN    		 George Mason
    Rivalry    		 W 71–47  9–5
    (1–0)    		  22 – Johnson  8 – Tied  6 – Lewis  Siegel Center (7,637)
    Richmond, VA
    January 5, 2016
    7:00 pm, ASN    		 at Saint Joseph's W 85–82  10–5
    (2–0)    		  25 – Johnson  8 – Billbury  6 – Lewis  Hagan Arena (3,752)
    Philadelphia, PA
    January 10, 2016
    4:00 pm, NBCSN    		 at Saint Louis W 72–56  11–5
    (3–0)    		  16 – Alie-Cox  5 – Johnson  4 – Tied  Chaifetz Arena (8,719)
    St. Louis, MO
    January 13, 2016
    7:00 pm, ASN    		 Fordham W 88–54  12–5
    (4–0)    		  27 – Tillman  10 – Tillman  7 – Lewis  Siegel Center (7,637)
    Richmond, VA
    January 16, 2016
    2:00 pm, CBSSN    		 at Richmond
    Capital City Classic    		 W 94–89 OT 13–5
    (5–0)    		  29 – Lewis  11 – Tillman  6 – Johnson  Robins Center (7,201)
    Richmond, VA
    January 20, 2016
    7:00 pm, MASN    		 Duquesne W 93–71  14–5
    (6–0)    		  16 – Tied  8 – Lewis  4 – Brooks  Siegel Center (7,637)
    Richmond, VA
    January 23, 2016
    2:30 pm, NBCSN    		 St. Bonaventure W 84–76  15–5
    (7–0)    		  26 – Lewis  8 – Tied  7 – Lewis  Siegel Center (7,637)
    Richmond, VA
    January 29, 2016
    6:00 pm, ESPN2    		 at Davidson W 79–69  16–5
    (8–0)    		  22 – Lewis  11 – Alie-Cox  5 – Lewis  John M. Belk Arena (5,295)
    Davidson, NC
    February 3, 2016
    7:00 pm    		 at La Salle W 88–70  17–5
    (9–0)    		  30 – Johnson  7 – Billbury  3 – Allie-Cox  Tom Gola Arena (1,711)
    Philadelphia, PA
    February 6, 2016
    12:00 pm, CBSSN    		 George Washington L 69–71  17–6
    (9–1)    		  16 – Lewis  9 – Billbury  5 – Lewis  Siegel Center (7,637)
    Richmond, VA
    February 11, 2016
    7:00 pm, ESPNU    		 at Massachusetts L 63–69  17–7
    (9–2)    		  15 – Tied  4 – Tied  5 – Lewis  Mullins Center (2,698)
    Amherst, MA
    February 13, 2016
    6:00 pm, CBSSN    		 Saint Louis W 85–52  18–7
    (10–2)    		  20 – Billbury  11 – Tillman  7 – Williams  Siegel Center (7,637)
    Richmond, VA
    February 16, 2016
    7:30 pm, CBSSN    		 Rhode Island W 83–67  19–7
    (11–2)    		  21 – Alie-Cox  6 – Billbury  6 – Lewis  Siegel Center (7,637)
    Richmond, VA
    February 19, 2016
    7:00 pm, ESPN2    		 Richmond
    Capital City Classic    		 W 87–74  20–7
    (12–2)    		  22 – Johnson  12 – Alie-Cox  10 – Lewis  Siegel Center (7,637)
    Richmond, VA
    February 24, 2016
    7:00 pm    		 at George Mason
    Rivalry    		 L 69–76  20–8
    (12–3)    		  24 – Johnson  13 – Tillman  4 – Johnson  EagleBank Arena (5,138)
    Fairfax, VA
    February 27, 2016
    12:30 pm, NBCSN    		 at George Washington W 69–65  21–8
    (13–3)    		  17 – Williams  7 – Alie-Cox  5 – Williams  Charles E. Smith Center (4,385)
    Washington, D.C.
    March 2, 2016
    7:00 pm, CBSSN    		 Davidson W 70–60  22–8
    (14–3)    		  18 – Alie-Cox  9 – Alie-Cox  8 – Lewis  Siegel Center (7,637)
    Richmond, VA
    March 5, 2016
    8:00 pm, CBSSN    		 at Dayton L 67–68 OT 22–9
    (14–4)    		  16 – Billbury  21 – Tillman  3 – Williams  UD Arena (13,455)
    Dayton, OH
    Atlantic 10 Tournament
    March 11, 2016
    6:30 PM, NBCSN    		 (2) vs. (10) Massachusetts
    Quarterfinals    		 W 85–70  23–9
    		  19 – Johnson  9 – Tillman  3 – Tied  Barclays Center (8,223)
    Brooklyn, NY
    March 12, 2016
    4:00 PM, CBSSN    		 (2) vs. (6) Davidson
    Semifinals    		 W 76–54  24–9
    		  17 – Billbury  7 – Billbury  3 – Tied  Barclays Center (10,439)
    Brooklyn, NY
    March 13, 2016
    12:00 PM, CBS    		 (2) vs. (4) St. Joseph's
    Championship    		 L 74–87  24–10
    		  19 – Tied  8 – Tillman  7 – Lewis  Barclays Center (8,413)
    Brooklyn, NY
    NCAA Tournament
    March 18, 2016*
    1:30 PM, TNT    		 (10 W) vs. (7 W) Oregon State
    First round    		 W 75–67  25–10
    		  21 – Lewis  8 – Alie-Cox  8 – Lewis  Chesapeake Energy Arena (15,662)
    Oklahoma City, OK
    March 20, 2016*
    5:30 PM, CBS    		 (10 W) vs. (2 W) No. 7 Oklahoma
    Second round    		 L 81–85  25–11
    		  23 – Johnson  9 – Burgess  9 – Lewis  Chesapeake Energy Arena (15,279)
    Oklahoma City, OK
    *Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. W=West Region.
    All times are in Eastern Time.
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    References
    1. http://vcuathletics.com/sports/mbkb/2015-16/schedule
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