VCU (24-13) at No. 2 seed Utah (21-14)
NIT quarterfinals
Tip: Wednesday, 7 p.m. MDT.
Venue: Huntsman Center.
TV: ESPN2.
Livestream: Watch ESPN.
Radio: 700 AM.
Series: First meeting.
The trends
For Utah: The Runnin’ Utes (21-14) have won three of their past four games, going 1-1 in the Pac-12 tournament and 2-0 in the NIT. In its three wins, Utah averaged 88.3 points per game. In the loss, the Utes scored 58.
For VCU: The Rams (24-13), as an unseeded participant, have won their two NIT games on the road. VCU is 7-4 on the road this season, while Utah is 15-2 at home.
The stakes
For Utah: The Utes have advanced to the NIT semifinals four times in their school’s history and are trying for a fifth with a win Wednesday. Utah won the NIT championship in 1947 and played for the championship in 2018, its last appearance in the postseason tournament.
For VCU: This is the Rams’ sixth appearance in the NIT and first since 2008. VCU lost its only other time reaching the NIT quarterfinals, falling 69-60 to UConn in 1988.
Players to watch
For Utah: The usual suspects delivered for the Utes in the second-round win over Iowa. Gabe Madsen scored a career-high 31 points and hit seven 3-pointers, while Deivon Smith had his fourth triple-double this season with 19 points, 10 assists and 10 rebounds. Branden Carlson added 12 points, two blocks and two assists. All three will lead the way again against VCU.
For VCU: Former Utah State guard Max Shulga leads the Rams offensively by averaging 14.3 points and 2.3 3-pointers per game. Zeb Jackson scored a team-high 14 points in their second-round NIT win at South Florida and averages 13.5 points per game, while another former Utah State standout, Sean Bairstow, put up 13 points, six rebounds and four assists in the win over the Bulls.