DENVER — VCU’s season has concluded, possibly marking the end of the Ryan Odom era.
Odom, the Rams’ head coach, has gained significant attention in the coaching community. After VCU fell to BYU 80-71 in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on Thursday, he opted not to discuss his future with the team or any potential interviews with other institutions.
However, Odom did take the time to reflect on the positive aspects of the season, expressing gratitude for the Atlantic 10 championship achieved by his team before their loss to the Cougars.
“I’m proud of these guys. Proud of the season that they’ve had. They brought a lot of joy to many people in Richmond and beyond,” Odom told the media after the game. “They certainly brought a tremendous amount of joy to our coaching staff and administration. Thirty wins is no small feat. We can analyze this game all we want, but the season these players had was truly impressive.
“Winning the conference tournament in a high-pressure situation requires exceptional character and teamwork. I have immense pride in everyone within the locker room who dedicated countless hours to elevating this team. Credit goes to BYU as they executed well today, making sufficient plays to keep us at bay.”
The matchup was competitive early on, with the score tied at 24 after nearly 13 minutes of play. However, BYU surged ahead with a 30-10 run over nine minutes, putting VCU in a significant deficit that they could not recover from, despite narrowing the gap to nine points at one stage.
BYU’s strategy focused more on inside scoring than their usual reliance on three-pointers, accumulating 38 points in the paint, largely due to contributions from Fousseyni Traore and Keba Keita. On defense, BYU effectively contained VCU’s offense, limiting them to 41.3% shooting while forcing 11 turnovers.
Despite this early exit from the NCAA Tournament and uncertainty surrounding Odom’s future in Richmond, the season was remarkable for VCU, having clinched both the regular season and conference tournament titles, and achieving 28 victories — the second-highest in program history.
