Program history
VCU
in the tournament.
VCU appears in 19 tournaments in this archive, between 1980 and 2026, with an all-time record of 14–19. It has reached the national semifinals once — 2011 — without reaching the title game.
In its opening game it is 1–4. 4 of its 10 games decided by three points or fewer went its way.
Its biggest upset as the underdog came in 2011, when an 11th seed beat the 1st-seeded Kansas 71–61. The reverse happened in 2014: as a 5th seed it lost to the 12th-seeded Stephen F. Austin 77–75.
Its longest run of consecutive appearances is 4, from 2011 to 2014. Its longest absence ran 11 years, between 1985 and 1996.
This archive carries no numeric seed before 1979. Since then it has entered as high as a 2nd seed and as low as a 13th.
- 19 Appearances
- 14–19 All-time record
- 0 Titles
Season by season
| Year | Seed | Record | Coach | Conference | Finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980 | 12 | 18–12 | J. D. Barnett | Sun Belt | Round of 48 |
| 1981 | 5 | 24–5 | J. D. Barnett | Sun Belt | Round of 32 |
| 1983 | 5 | 24–7 | J.D. Barnett | Sun Belt | Second Round |
| 1984 | 6 | 23–7 | J. D. Barnett | Sun Belt | Round of 32 |
| 1985 | 2 | 26–6 | J. D. Barnett | Sun Belt Conference | lost in the Round 2 to Alabama, 59–63 |
| 1996 | 12 | 24–9 | Sonny Smith | Colonial Athletic Association | lost in the Round of 64 to Mississippi State, 51–58 |
| 2004 | 13 | 23–8 | Jeff Capel III | Colonial Athletic Association | lost in the Round of 64 to Wake Forest, 78–79 |
| 2007 | 11 | 28–7 | Anthony Grant | Colonial Athletic Association | lost in the Round of 32 to Pittsburgh, 79–84 (OT) |
| 2009 | 11 | 24–10 | Anthony Grant (3rd year) | Colonial Athletic Association | lost in the round of 64 to UCLA, 64–65 |
| 2011 | 11 | 28–12 | Shaka Smart | Colonial Athletic Association | lost in the national semifinal to Butler, 62–70 |
| 2012 | 12 | 29–7 | Shaka Smart (3rd year) | Colonial Athletic Association | lost in the round of 32 to Indiana, 61–63 |
| 2013 | 5 | 27–9 | Shaka Smart | Atlantic 10 Conference | lost in the round of 32 to Michigan, 53–78 |
| 2014 | 5 | 26–9 | Shaka Smart | Atlantic 10 Conference | lost in the round of 64 to Stephen F. Austin, 75–77 (OT) |
| 2016 | 10 | 25–11 | Will Wade | Atlantic 10 Conference | lost in the round of 32 to Oklahoma, 81–85 |
| 2017 | 10 | 26–9 | Will Wade | Atlantic 10 Conference | lost in the round of 64 to Saint Mary's, 77–85 |
| 2019 | 8 | 25–8 | Mike Rhoades | Atlantic 10 Conference | lost in the round of 64 to UCF, 58–73 |
| 2023 | 12 | 27–8 | Mike Rhoades | Atlantic 10 Conference | lost in the round of 64 to Saint Mary's, 51–63 |
| 2025 | 11 | 28–7 | Ryan Odom | Atlantic 10 Conference | lost in the round of 64 to BYU, 71–80 |
| 2026 | 11 | 28–8 | Phil Martelli Jr. | Atlantic 10 Conference | lost in the round of 32 to Illinois, 55–76 |
How the games went
| Round | W–L |
|---|---|
| Opening | 1–4 |
| Round of 64 | 10–9 |
| Round of 32 | 1–5 |
| Round of 8 | 1–0 |
| Semifinal | 1–1 |
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