Getty RICHMOND, VA - NOVEMBER 05: Nah'Shon Hyland #5 of the VCU Rams shoots in the first half during a game against the St. Francis Red Flash at Stuart C. Siegel Center on November 5, 2019 in Richmond, Virginia. (Photo by Ryan M. Kelly/Getty Images)
The North Texas Mean Green (1-0) will visit the VCU Rams (1-0) at the Stuart C. Siegel Center in Richmond, Virginia on Friday.
The game (7 p.m. ET start time) will be televised on MASN locally, but anyone in the US can also watch it live online on ESPN+, the digital streaming service from ESPN that has exclusive coverage of many VCU and A-10 basketball games this season, plus tons of other college basketball and live sports every week, all the 30-for-30 documentaries and additional original content (both video and written) all for $4.99 per month.
You can sign up for ESPN+ right here, and you can then watch VCU vs North Texas live on your computer via ESPN.com, or on your phone (Android and iPhone compatible), tablet, Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV, Chromecast, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, or other streaming device via the ESPN app.
Watch VCU vs North Texas on ESPN+
North Texas vs VCU Preview
The Rams were 25-8 last year, and are coming off a 72-58 season-opening win against St. Francis. Virginia Commonwealth head coach Mike Rhoades said after the win:
“We got the jitters out, we got the first game out of the way, we’re 1-0, and we’ve got to improve and get better because we play a lot of good teams coming up. I’m proud of our guys. I thought some guys stepped up throughout the game. There are certain things we’ve got to get better at, but that’s why you play the game and we’ll review the tape and be ready to go on Friday.”
De’Riante Jenkins led the Rams in scoring in the season opener with 16 points, and Marcus Evans added 12. Jenkins said after the game that he wants his team to play better defense moving forward: “First half, felt like we defended them well,” he the Commonwealth Times. “Second half, we felt like we got our foot off the gas. We got to stay focused, watch film and get better.” The Rams won’t be facing a pushover in their second game.
The Mean Green are coming off a 79-40 trouncing of Oklahoma Christian on Tuesday. North Texas was led by Thomas Bell, who led the team in scoring with 16 points, along with Zachary Simmons, who had 14 points, while Umoja Gibson chipped in 12. Bell was happy to het the ‘W,’ but wants his team to take better care of the basketball against the Rams:
“It was good getting the win on the first day,” he said recently. “We have to do some things better, like taking care of the ball, but it always feels good to get a win.”
With both teams starting off their respective seasons with a win, both will also be looking to put together a streak to start the season strong. One thing to watch in this game: the Mean Green are shooting 50% from 3-point range, whereas the Rams have hit just 3-13 shots from beyond the arc this season.
The Rams are the favorite in this one, as they are currently ranked 25th in the nation in the AP Top 25 Poll, but if North Texas heats up, this could be a very close game.