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RICHMOND, Va. – For the second time in three years, Virginia Commonwealth University will be asked to face one of the nation’s most storied basketball programs. VCU drew a No. 11 seed and will meet sixth-seeded UCLA in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on Thursday, March 18 at the Wachovia Center in Philadelphia, Pa. Game times have not yet been announced. Two years ago, the Rams met Duke in the first round in Buffalo, N.Y. and toppled the Blue Devils, 79-77. This season, they’ll be asked to do the same with the UCLA Bruins, owners of a record 11 national championships. The Rams (24-9) are slated in the East Region, which is headlined by top-seeded Pittsburgh. On the other end of the Philadelphia portion of the bracket, third-seeded Villanova will face off with 14th-seeded American. UCLA (25-8) is led by senior guard Darren Collison (14.5 ppg, 4.9 apg), as well as classmate Josh Shipp (14.4 ppg, 3.0 rpg). The Bruins are arguably the most prestigious Division I basketball program in the country. In addition to its national championships, UCLA has reached 18 Final Fours, including the last three. “We know that UCLA is a great team and is very well coached,” said VCU Head Coach Anthony Grant. “We’ll get to work and try to learn as much about them as possible, but they’ve got a tremendous history and have been able to accomplish a great deal, especially the last few years under coach Ben Howland.” This will be VCU’s ninth NCAA Tournament appearance overall and third in six years. It’s the Rams’ second selection as a No. 11 seed.
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