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Fousseyni Traore celebrates with teammates after placing BYU's name in the second round of the NCAA Tournament bracket after an 80-71 victory against VCU in Denver, Colo., on Thursday, March 20, 2025.

Courtesy BYU Photo

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BYU's Egor Demin (3) attempts a 3-point shot in an NCAA first round men's basketball game at Ball Arena in Denver, Colo., on Thursday, March 20, 2025.

Courtesy BYU Photo

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BYU's Keba Keita (in white) attempts a dunk against VCU in an NCAA first round men's basketball game at Ball Arena in Denver, Colo., on Thursday, March 20, 2025.

Courtesy BYU Photo

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BYU's Trevin Knell (right) and Mawot Mag fight for the ball with VCU's Max Shulga in an NCAA first round men's basketball game at Ball Arena in Denver, Colo., on Thursday, March 20, 2025.

Courtesy BYU Photo

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From left, BYU assistant coach Chris Burgess, Dawson Baker, Trey Stewart and Trevin Knell leave the court after an 80-71 victory against VCU in the first round of the NCAA men's basketball tournament in Denver, Colo., on Thursday, March 20, 2025.

Courtesy BYU Photo

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BYU men's basketball coach Kevin Young addresses his team during a time out in an NCAA first round men's basketball game at Ball Arena in Denver, Colo., on Thursday, March 20, 2025.

Courtesy BYU Photo

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BYU men's basketball coach Kevin Young (right) gives instructions to freshman Egor Demin in an NCAA first round men's basketball game at Ball Arena in Denver, Colo., on Thursday, March 20, 2025.

Courtesy BYU Photo

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BYU fans watch the action in an NCAA first round men's basketball game at Ball Arena in Denver, Colo., on Thursday, March 20, 2025.

Courtesy BYU Photo

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Former BYU basketball star Jimmer Fredette poses with Cosmo the Cougars before the start of an NCAA first round men's basketball game at Ball Arena in Denver, Colo., on Thursday, March 20, 2025.

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Former BYU stars Jimmer Fredette (right) and Taysom Hill pose for a photo before the start of an NCAA first round game men's basketball game at Ball Arena in Denver, Colo., on Thursday, March 20, 2025.

Courtesy BYU Photo

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BYU's Egor Demin (3) drives against VCU's Max Shulga in an NCAA first round men's basketball game at Ball Arena in Denver, Colo., on Thursday, March 20, 2025.

Courtesy BYU Photo

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The BYU men's basketball team gathers together before the start of their NCAA first round game against VCU at Ball Arena in Denver, Colo., on Thursday, March 20, 2025.

Courtesy BYU Photo

❮ ❯

DENVER — Dallin Hall said he and his teammates have been working for 365 days to right the wrong of last year’s first round NCAA Tournament loss.

Mission accomplished.

The Atlantic 10 no longer has a hold over the Cougars after an 80-71 victory against No. 11 seed VCU at Ball Arena on Thursday. Last season, A-10 champ Duquesne bullied BYU and pulled off the upset.

Richie Saunders scored 16 points and Egor Demin added 15 as No. 6 seed BYU held off the Rams  to advance to the second round of the tournament for the first time since 2011.

“It’s huge for the program, for what Coach Young is trying to build,” junior guard Dallin Hall said. “It’s huge for us, the guys that were here last year. There have been some incredible BYU teams in the past, so they’ve put us in a position to be where we are and we’re grateful for them. We want to carry that legacy forward, but we feel like we have a lot more work to get done and that’s our mindset going forward.”

BYU made a 12-2 run to end the first half and 13-3 run early in the second to get out to a 20-point lead. VCU never truly went away, making 11 3-pointers in the second half, but BYU managed to bring this one home against the Atlantic 10 champions.

“This time of year, you hear it all the time, you want to survive and advance,” Cougar coach Kevin Young said. “That’s where my head goes. We felt like we wanted to key in on rebounding, not putting them at the line and taking care of the ball. Those were the three keys for us coming into the game. We won those three areas and I felt like that was a huge part of the win.”

BYU’s bigs made a large impact on the game, atoning for a poor performance last year against Duquesne. Fousseyni Traore scored 13 points and grabbed nine rebounds and Keba Keita added nine points, nine rebounds and four blocks. The Cougars won the rebound battle 40-31 and out-boarded the Rams 16-12 on the offensive glass, which led to a 16-7 advantage in second-chance points.

Keita blocked two shots early in the game and was fouled while attempting a powerful dunk that nearly took the VCU defender’s head off.

“We wanted to win the one-on-ones, win the glass and just be more physical, play harder than the other team,” Keita said. “So that was the message. I’m looking to play more physical each game. I wanted to set the tone physically. So I felt like it was my job, to be a certain example for that.”

Zeb Jackson led VCU (28-7) with 23 points but BYU made Atlantic 10 Player of the Year Max Shulga and backcourt mate Joe Bamisile work for their offense. They scored 12 points each but combined to shoot 8 for 25 (32%) from the field. The Rams finished 15 of 38 (39.5%) from the 3-point line.

The first half featured three ties and five leads changes as both team executed well offensively. Demin made back-to-back 3-pointers for a 14-10 BYU lead but VCU converted three straight shots to go back in front 17-14 with just over 12 minutes to play in the half.

Over the final four minutes of the half, the Cougars turned a 27-26 lead into an 11-point advantage with a 12-2 run, getting five points from Traore and a big 3-pointer from Trevin Knell. Keita put back a miss with ten seconds to play and BYU took a 39-28 lead into the break.

Demin was 3 of 4 from the 3-point line in the first half and scored 11 points for the Cougars, which shot 50% from the field (14 of 28) and the 3-point line (5 of 10).

Jack Clark and Jackson had seven points each for VCU, while Shulga and Bamisile were a combined 2 for 11 from the field and scored six points. The Rams shot 11 of 29 (37.9%) from the field and were 4 of 16 (25%) from the 3-point line.

Bamisile made a 3-pointer to open the second half for VCU but the Cougars went on a 13-3 blitz, turning the Rams over and getting out in transition. Saunders hit a 3-pointer and converted a 3-point play, Knell made another triple, Demin spun in a tricky reverse layup and Keita put in an offensive rebound as BYU took a 54-34 lead with 16:45 to play.

“Our team, we’re so deep,” Saunders said. “As you noticed during that little run, a lot of second unit was right there making it happen. I love it because there are so many different tools we can use as a team. We were playing fast and sharing the ball, which is BYU basketball right there.”

The Rams created some anxious moments by going off from deep in the second half but the Cougars lead never fell below ten points until the final 30 seconds of the game.

“I think we’ve been talking about this so much inside of the team,” Demin said. “Nothing matters but the team. It matters how strong we are on the court, how much effort we give, and how much we want to win. In this tournament, I think I don’t have much experience as these guys about March Madness, but I believe that we the ones who wants to win more.”

BYU (25-9) will play No. 3 seed Wisconsin in Saturday’s second round. The Badgers defeated No. 14 Montana 85-66 on Thursday in the first round.