VCU announced on May 14 that it has reached an agreement with Santa Clara for a home-and-home men’s basketball series beginning in the 2026-27 season.
The agreement will see the Rams travel to play the Broncos at the Leavey Center in Santa Clara, California, on Nov. 19, 2026. The return game will take place at VCU’s Stuart C. Siegel Center during the following season, with the exact date yet to be determined.
This marks the first meeting between VCU and Santa Clara. The Broncos are led by Coach Herb Sendek and finished their most recent season with a record of 25-9. They earned an at-large berth to the NCAA Tournament in 2026, where they narrowly lost to Kentucky in overtime during the first round. Santa Clara has recorded six consecutive seasons with at least 20 wins and made National Invitation Tournament appearances in three of those years: 2022, 2023, and 2025.
VCU’s non-conference schedule for the upcoming year is taking shape as well. In addition to facing Santa Clara, VCU is set for a home-and-home series with Memphis beginning Nov. 7, 2026 at FedEx Center and will host N.C. State at Siegel Center. The Rams are also scheduled to participate in the Southwest Maui Invitational from Nov. 23-25 against teams including Arizona, Clemson, BYU, Colorado State, Ole Miss, Providence and Washington.
Second-year Head Coach Phil Martelli Jr. leads a VCU team returning seven players from last year’s squad that won a share of both the Atlantic 10 regular season title and tournament championship before defeating North Carolina in their opening NCAA Tournament game.
