Skip to content
UNcommonVCU

UNPACKED · The Fan Guide

Fan Guide

How to watch VCU women’s basketball like you’ve been doing it for years — even if this is your first game.

Who to watch and why

Start with three names. The point guard, because everything begins in her hands. The best shooter, because that is who the building yells for. And the freshman from up the road, because in three years this is the footage everyone wishes they had seen live. Meet all of them on the roster — written like people, not a media guide.

What the new coach actually changes

Chelsea Banbury’s teams share the ball and defend. Her last team led its league in assists and field-goal percentage and ranked 34th in the country in field-goal defense. So watch for two things and you will already see more than most of the room: how fast the ball moves after a rebound, and where the defenders are when a shot goes up. More on the coach.

How to watch basketball if you never have

  1. Watch the pass before the shot. Good offenses make the defense move twice. Count the passes on a possession — four or more usually means a clean look.
  2. Watch feet, not hands, on defense. A defender who stays between her player and the rim is doing the job, even when nothing shows up in the box score.
  3. The margin matters more than the win. A rebuilding team that loses by four to a good team did something right. Which is exactly why The Board scores the margin, not just the result.
  4. Find the assist number at halftime. It is the single stat that tells you whether the game plan is working.
  5. Listen to the building after a big stop. That noise is the whole point.

The gameday map

The Siegel Center is at Broad and Harrison. Doors open about an hour before tip. Students: your ID gets you in, that’s it. Everyone else: the ticket QR code is in your email. Students sit behind the bench; get there early on big nights. A game runs about two hours. The walk before and after.

The three games you can’t miss

[Placeholder until the full schedule is confirmed.] The season opener at home. The night VCU hosts Richmond. And SupportHER night — the biggest crowd this building sees all year, and the reason this site exists.

The schedule

Every game, home and away, with tickets for home dates: the schedule. Road games still run on The Board.