WASHINGTON, D.C. – Once again, VCU will be the hunted.
 
The Rams, the defending Atlantic 10 Conference Champions, have been selected first in the league's preseason coaches poll, the A10 announced Monday ahead of its annual Media Day in the Nation's Capital.
 
VCU garnered 11 first-place votes and 308 points to edge Saint Louis, which collected 10 first-place votes and 307 points. VCU and Saint Louis shared the A10 regular season crown in 2025-26, and the Rams later captured the league's tournament title in Pittsburgh, Pa. Dayton, George Mason and George Washington rounded out the top five in the poll.
 
The Black and Gold finished 28-8 a year ago, their first season under Head Coach Phil Martelli Jr., and defeated North Carolina in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. VCU has won three of the past four A10 Tournament crowns.
 
In addition, three Rams received Preseason All-Conference honors: senior forward Lazar Djokovic (First Team), sophomore guard Nyk Lewis (First Team) and junior guard Brandon Jennings (Second Team, All-Defensive Team). All three players were A10 All-Conference selections for the Rams last season.
 
Djokovic aims to repeat his 2025-26 First Team selection this year. The nimble, 6-foot-11 Serbian averaged 13.2 points and 5.2 rebounds per game last season, while shooting .500 from the floor and .343 (23-of-67) from 3-point range.
 
Lewis was the A10's Rookie of the Year in 2025-26 after averaging 8.7 points and 4.5 rebounds per game. The 6-1 Washington, D.C. native shot .362 (46-of-127) from beyond the arc and started 35 games a year ago for VCU. He scored in double figures 16 times and registered three double-doubles.
 
Jennings, an A10 All-Defensive Team pick last year, supplied 8.5 points and 3.6 rebounds, in 2025-26, as well as 1.7 steals per game, which ranked fifth in the league. Jennings, who stands 6-4, also blocked 30 shots, second on the team only to Djokovic.
 
VCU, which returns seven players and 59 percent of its scoring from last season, will host James Madison in an exhibition contest on Sunday, Oct. 25 at 2 p.m. at the Stuart C. Siegel Center. The Rams will officially kick off their 2026-27 campaign on Nov. 2, when they host Little Rock at 7 p.m.
 
Season, single-game and mini-plan tickets are on sale now at vcutickets.evenue.net/list/MBK.
 
2026-27 ATLANTIC 10 CONFERENCE
PRESEASON POLL
Team                                                   Pts
1-VCU (11)                                         308
2-Saint Louis (10)                               307
3-Dayton (2)                                      279
4-George Mason                                240
5-George Washington                       207
6-Saint Joseph's                                 181
7-Fordham                                         169
8-Davidson                                        144
9-Richmond                                       138
10-Duquesne                                     130
11-Loyola Chicago                             116
12-Rhode Island                                104
13-La Salle                                         59
14-St. Bonaventure                           33
 
First place votes in parenthesis