RICHMOND, VA — October 21, 2026
Richmond basketball fans have an unusual opportunity to compare the preseason progress of their city's two Atlantic 10 men's basketball programs. Within seven days, James Madison is scheduled to face both the Richmond Spiders and VCU Rams, creating an intriguing early-season storyline across Central Virginia.
The Dukes defeated Richmond 90–81 on October 18 in Harrisonburg. Their next challenge comes Sunday, October 25, when they travel to the Stuart C. Siegel Center to face VCU at 2 p.m. Although exhibitions do not count toward regular-season records, these matchups offer an early look at each team's development.
## Richmond Shows Offensive Progress Despite Defeat
The Spiders showed improved offense against James Madison following a difficult October 9 exhibition loss to Virginia. Richmond shot 50.9% from the field and 45.8% from three-point range against the Dukes.
Junior Jamie Kaiser Jr. led Richmond with 17 points, including three three-pointers. Jack McCaffery added 14 points and four three-pointers, while Andrew Ball contributed 10 points and four rebounds off the bench. Richmond also recorded 20 assists on 29 made field goals.
Trailing 31–17 in the first half, Richmond answered with a 17–0 run to take a 34–31 lead. The Spiders briefly regained the advantage after halftime before James Madison responded with a 14–2 run. Richmond's reserves scored 41 points, an encouraging sign for a team integrating newcomers. The result also leaves questions about defensive consistency.
## VCU Opens With a Win
Across town, VCU enters Sunday's matchup following a 71–57 exhibition victory at Old Dominion on October 17.
Senior forward Lazar Djokovic led the Rams with 22 points, shooting 6-for-11 from the field and making all seven free throws. Junior guard Ahmad Nowell contributed 17 points off the bench, including five three-pointers.
VCU built a 41–23 halftime lead, and its bench outscored Old Dominion's 33–7. But Old Dominion outscored VCU 34–30 in the second half, offering the Rams additional lessons before the regular season.
## Why the Common Opponent Matters
James Madison gives fans a shared reference point for evaluating the two Richmond programs, but exhibition scores alone cannot determine which team is stronger. Rotations, matchups and coaching decisions vary, and both teams are still preparing for games that count.
Both programs open their regular seasons November 2. VCU hosts Little Rock at the Siegel Center, while Richmond welcomes UNC Asheville to the Robins Center.
For young players across Central Virginia, these games offer lessons in ball movement, bench contributions, defensive communication and responding to momentum swings. Sunday's VCU–James Madison exhibition is scheduled for October 25 at 2 p.m.
Two Richmond programs. One common opponent. Plenty of questions still to answer.
Sources: https://richmondspiders.com/news/2026/10/18/mens-basketball-mccaffery-kaiser-jr-combine-for-31-in-exhibition-at-jmu https://vcuathletics.com/news/2026/10/17/mens-basketball-djokovic-powers-rams-in-exhibition-win-at-odu.aspx https://vcuathletics.com/sports/mens-basketball/schedule https://richmondspiders.com/sports/mbball/schedule