2020–21 VCU Rams men's basketball
NCAA tournament, first round
Conference	Atlantic 10 Conference
Record	19–7 (10–4 A-10)
Head coach	Mike Rhoades (4th season)
Assistant coaches	J. D. Byers Brent Scott Jamal Brunt
Home arena	Stuart C. Siegel Center
Seasons ← 2019–20 2021–22 →

The 2020–21 VCU Rams men's basketball team represented Virginia Commonwealth University during the 2020–21 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. Their head coach was Mike Rhoades, in his fourth year as VCU head coach. The team played their home games at the Siegel Center in Richmond, Virginia, as a member of the Atlantic 10 Conference. In a season limited due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, they finished the season 19–7, 10–4 in A-10 play to finish in second place. The Rams defeated Dayton^[1] and Davidson^[2] in the A-10 tournament before losing to St. Bonaventure in the championship.^[3] They received an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament as the No. 10 seed in the West region.^[4] Their game against Oregon in the first round was ruled a no-contest due to positive COVID-19 tests in the VCU program, thus ending their season^[5] and making VCU the first team ever to forfeit a game in the NCAA tournament.^[6]

Previous season

The Rams finished the 2019–20 season 18–13, 8–10 in A-10 play to finish in a tie for eighth place. As the No. 8 seed in the A-10 tournament, they were to play UMass in the second round, but the tournament was canceled due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.^[7]

VCU began the season with a 6–0 record for the first time in program history,^[8] and were ranked as high as 20th in the nation. The Rams finished the season with a 2–7 record in their final nine games.

Offseason

Departures

Incoming transfers

2020 recruiting class

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes

Name	Hometown	High school / college	Height	Weight	Commit date
Ace Baldwin Jr. PG	Baltimore, MD	St. Frances Academy	6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)	170 lb (77 kg)	Nov 13, 2019
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN grade: 80
Josh Banks SF	Charlotte, NC	Olympic High School	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)	185 lb (84 kg)	Sep 1, 2019
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN grade: 78
Mikeal Brown-Jones PF	Philadelphia, PA	IMG Academy	6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)	215 lb (98 kg)	Nov 13, 2019
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN grade: 79
Jamir Watkins SF	Trenton, NJ	Trenton Catholic	6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)	200 lb (91 kg)	Nov 13, 2019
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN grade: NR
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: "VCU 2020 Player Commits". ESPN.com. Retrieved March 14, 2020. "2020 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved March 14, 2020.

2021 Recruiting class

US college sports recruiting information for 2021 recruits
Name	Hometown	High school / college	Height	Weight	Commit date
Jalen DeLoach PF	Savannah, GA	The Skill Factory	6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)	190 lb (86 kg)	Nov 11, 2020
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN grade: 77
Nick Kern SF	St. Louis, MO	Vashon High School	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)	180 lb (82 kg)	Nov 11, 2020
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN grade: 86
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: "VCU 2021 Player Commits". ESPN.com. Retrieved November 13, 2020. "2021 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved November 13, 2020.

Preseason

Atlantic 10 media poll

The Atlantic 10 men's basketball media poll was released on November 9, 2020. VCU was picked to finish ninth.

Roster