• For the first time in school history and the first time in the history of the Commonwealth of Virginia, a Division I basketball program is dancing for a fifth straight season with VCU's appearance in the NCAA Tournament this season.

• The Rams are making their 14th NCAA Tournament appearance and seventh in the past nine years. VCU has an overall record of 12-13 in the big dance. Coach Smart has a 7-4 record in the tournament.

• VCU earned its bid this past Sunday by capturing the 2015 Atlantic 10 Championship, it was the first A10 title in program history and ninth overall conference title. The Rams became the first team since the 2006 Xavier squad to win four games in four days at the A10 Tournament.

• During Coach Smart's tenure, VCU is 27-8 in postseason play and 33-9 in the month of March.

• VCU and Ohio State are two of only 11 schools in the country to earn NCAA Tournament bids in each of the past five seasons. (see page 3 of VCU notes for full list).

• With 26 or more wins in each of the past six seasons, VCU joins Duke as the only programs in the country to reach that mark every year.

• This is the second time in four seasons that VCU has made the trek to Portland for the opening weekend of the NCAA tournament. In 2012, the rams were a 12th-seed and upset Wichita State, before nearly taking down fourth-seeded Indiana in the round of 32.

• This will be the first ever meeting between Ohio State and VCU. During Coach Smart's six years at the helm of the Black & Gold, VCU is a perfect 8-0 against teams from Ohio. Coach Smart a lot of time in Buckeye Country, attending Kenyon College (45 mins away) and spending time on the staffs at Dayton and Akron.

• Ohio State star Guard D'Angelo Russell was an AAU teammate of VCU freshman Michael Gilmore with Each 1 Teach 1. Sophomore Doug Brooks came from the same AAU program, but was not on the same team.

• Senior Treveon Graham is coming off an Atlantic 10 Tournament MVP award and his second straight Atlantic 10 All-First Team accolade after leading the Rams in scoring (16.3 ppg) and rebounding (7.0 rpg). He currently ranks in the top-10 in VCU history in Points (2nd - 1,872), Free Throws Made (2nd - 444), 3-pointers Made (5th - 198), Rebounds (5th - 793) and double-doubles (6th - 21).

• The 163 wins over the past six seasons puts Coach Smart tied for second for total wins over the first six years of a head coaching career in NCAA history. Brad Stevens holds the record with 166.

• VCU finished the season at #15 in the NCAA RPI with the toughest non-conference schedule in the country and eighth toughest overall schedule. The Rams went 14 wins against the top 100, nine of which came away from home.

• Who hasn't played the old game of Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon? Here's your pregame entertainment. Today's contestant? Senior Guard Briante Weber. Weber has attended the Chris Paul Skills Academy in the summer of 2013. Paul has appeared on the Jimmy Kimmel show six times during his nBA Career. Kimmel was in Road Trip with Sean William Scott. Scott was in Old School with Luke Wilson. Wilson was in My Dog Skip with Kevin Bacon.

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