GAME NOTES: Fresh off a thrilling win over a ranked opponent, the VCU Rams get back to action on Tuesday night when they play host to the Belmont Bruins at the Siegel Center.

Belmont is hoping to put the brakes on a two-game slide, as the team has suffered home defeats to Evansville (65-62) and Wright State (79-71) in the last week. Those setbacks came on the heels of a seven-game win streak, that successful run coming after the team dropped its season opener again to Wright State, that time on the road. Belmont is 3-1 in true road games.

VCU had begun the season among the nationally ranked, and after opening with three straight wins, the team has lost three of five. The Rams hosted a pesky Northern Iowa squad on Saturday, and got past the 23rd-ranked Panthers in a 93-87 final in double-overtime. It was the third win in four home games for VCU, and it was its first victory over a ranked opponent this season after failing in bouts with Villanova and Virginia previously.

This game marks the third meeting between these two schools in men's basketball, with VCU having won the first two, the most recent of which being an 81-68 decision at Belmont last season.

Spencer Turner drained seven 3-pointers en route to a game-high 23 points, but that effort went for naught as the Bruins dropped an eight-point decision to visiting Wright State last Thursday. Reece Chamberlain added 18 points and Evan Bradds 11 more, but Belmont allowed the Raiders to connect on 55.6 percent of their total shots, including 10-of-15 3-point tries. WSU's bench outscored the Bruins' reserves, 26-12. It was similar to the season opener, in which Wright State won the battle of bench points, 16-5. Bradds paced the Bruins in that outing with 21 points.

Craig Bradshaw has clearly been the Bruins' top performer this season, as he is netting 21.3 ppg behind typical shooting efforts of .518 overall, .464 from beyond the arc, and .757 at the foul line. However, he has been hobbled by a leg injury and his status moving forward is in question. Bradds (13.0 ppg, 6.1 rpg) and Taylor Barnette (12.2 ppg) are netting double digits on a consistent basis as well, although the latter too is battling an injury. Chamberlain is netting just 8.9 ppg, but he contributes in other areas as he leads the team in both rebounding (7.3 rpg) and assists (61). Belmont is putting up 75.6 ppg while yielding 69.2 ppg.

Treveon Graham tallied 21 points and pulled down 11 rebounds to help push VCU past Northern Iowa in two extra sessions last Saturday. Briante Weber added 14 points and six steals, and Melvin Johnson finished with 12 points and four assists for the Rams, who made good on 47.1 percent of their field goal attempts, which included an 11-of-28 effort from beyond the arc. UNI shot 49.2 percent from the floor, draining 11 treys as well, but the Panthers were guilty of 16 turnovers while VCU had only 11.

Graham continues to pace the Rams with his 17.8 ppg, although Johnson is right there with 16.3 ppg. Graham also spearheads the team's effort on the glass with 6.6 rpg, while Weber serves as its primary playmaker with 4.9 apg. As a team, VCU is averaging 76.8 ppg while permitting 72.1 ppg, and it is the club's effort in the turnover battle (+5.7) that has it coming out on top more often than not.

While likely exhausted after the big win over UNI, the Rams need to string together several solid efforts in an attempt to garner some of the national spotlight once again. The Bruins are surely going to put forth maximum effort, but the home team should do enough at both ends of the court to earn its seventh win of the season.