RICHMOND, Va. – VCU and Florida Atlantic will square off on Saturday, Dec. 12 at the Kia Center in Orlando, Florida as part of the Hall of Fame Series, Position Sports announced Tuesday.
 
The Rams and Owls will meet in the first game of a doubleheader in Orlando, an event conducted in partnership with the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame. The nightcap will feature Georgia Tech and Florida.
 
Tickets to the event will go on sale to the general public on Wednesday, Aug. 19 at 9 a.m. (EST) at hofseries.com. One ticket provides admission to both games. Game times and TV info will be available at a later date.
 
FAU finished 18-15 last season and is just three years removed from its 2023 Final Four run. Third-year Coach John Jakus will field a lineup that includes junior guard Kanaan Carlyle (14.3 ppg), the team's second-leading scorer last season, as well as All-Sun Belt Second Team selection Jelani Hamilton (17.8 ppg) from Georgia State and Indiana transfer Josh Harris -- who was an Atlantic Sun All-Freshman selection in 2024-25 at North Florida, but missed last season due to injury -- and All-Patriot League Second Team pick Braeden Speed (15.3 ppg), formerly of Loyola (Md.).
 
VCU is 4-0 all-time against the Owls, including a 66-46 win on Dec. 15, 2021 at the Stuart C. Siegel Center.
 
The announcement of the contest against FAU provides clarity to a 2026-27 VCU schedule that is taking shape. The Rams will compete at the prestigious Maui Invitational against a field that includes Arizona, Providence (VCU's Day 1 opponent), BYU, Clemson, Ole Miss, Colorado State and Washington. The Black and Gold will also begin home-and home series this season at Memphis and Santa Clara.
 
The Rams, led by second-year Head Coach Phil Martelli Jr., finished 28-8 last season and captured a share of the Atlantic 10 Conference regular season title, won the A10 Tournament Championship and defeated North Carolina in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. VCU will return seven players from last season's championship squad, including First Team All-A10 selection Lazar Djokovic and All-Defensive Team pick Brandon Jennings.