Wednesday, November 18th, 7:00 p.m. (et)

FACTS & STATS: Site: University Arena (5,421) -- Kalamazoo, Michigan. Television: None. Home Record: VCU 1-0, WMU 0-0. Away Record: VCU 0-0, WMU 0-1. Neutral Record: VCU 0-0, WMU 0-0. Conference Record: VCU 0-0, WMU 0-0. Series Record: VCU leads, 1-0.

GAME NOTES: The Western Michigan Broncos will open their home schedule this evening when they host the VCU Rams in a non-league affair at University Arena.

The Rams opened their new season with an 77-51 decision over Bethune Cookman. The Rams come into this season looking to duplicate their success from last year when the team went 24-10, and claimed its third consecutive regular- season title in the Colonial Athletic Association. The Rams will return home after this matchup and will square off against Oklahoma.

As for the Broncos, they new season got off to a rough start, as the team was downed by Detroit, 66-60. Western Michigan is trying to bounce back from a dismal season in which the team suffered through a 10-21 ledger. Next up for the Broncos will be a road matchup against Loyola-Chicago, followed by back- to-back home games against Holy Cross and Temple.

This will be the second-ever meeting between the two schools. The only other matchup went in favor of VCU.

The Rams were an offensive force last season, and the team picked up right where it left off, as VCU scored 77 points en route to an easy victory over Bethune-Cookman. VCU shot 46.0 percent from the field in the win, while also connecting on 11-of-24 three-point attempts and 20-of-27 shots from the charity stripe. Joe Rodriguez led the way in the win with 17 points and also recorded four steals, while Larry Sanders added 12 points and six rebounds. Sanders is the top returning scorer for Virginia Commonwealth, as the forward averaged 11.3 ppg to go along with his team-best 8.6 rpg and 92 blocks. Rodriguez will also be key to the team's success this season, as the guard is coming off a solid campaign in which he posted 9.4 ppg, and dished out 85 assists. Jay Gavin also posted 12 points in the contest, while Bradford Burgess chipped in 10 points.

David Kool opened the year in grand fashion, scoring 29 points to go along with five rebounds and five assists, but despite his tremendous performance, the Broncos still dropped their opener, 86-80. Kool was clearly the best player on the floor for the Broncos last season, averaging 17.9 ppg, but considering he posted 29 points in the opener and the team still lost should indicate that other players will have to shoulder some of the load. Flenard Whitfield added 16 points against Detroit, while Martelle McLemore contributed 12 points and seven rebounds. Both Whitfield and McLemore will have to contribute at this pace throughout the season for Western Michigan to enjoy any success.

Western Michigan is home, but for the Broncos to win, other players besides Kool will need to step up. The Rams are a strong bunch, and have the talent to grab a win on the road against a mediocre Western Michigan squad.

Predicted Outcome

VCU 76, Western Michigan 72