VCU Star Max Shulga Looks Back on Past History Against BYU
DENVER – Max Shulga, a former Utah State player, has risen as a standout in the Atlantic 10 Conference with VCU.
Shulga earned A-10 Player of the Year honors this season and has been a key figure in VCU’s 28-6 record.
He is currently averaging 15.1 points, 5.9 rebounds, and hitting 38.6% of his three-point attempts this season.
Max Shulga: From Utah State to VCU
During his three years at Utah State, Shulga faced BYU twice. In their most recent meeting in 2021, Shulga played only three minutes. That game, coached by current VCU head coach Ryan Odom, saw BYU win 82-71.
Two years later, Shulga joined Odom at VCU in Richmond, Virginia, where he has averaged 14.5 points and shoots 44% from the field.
At a press conference in Denver ahead of the NCAA Tournament, Shulga was asked if he remembered his past matchups with BYU.
“They completely changed their coaching staff since the last time I played them, and the team looks very different as well,” Shulga said. “We have to approach them like a new team. We know they shoot a lot of threes and crash the boards, things like that, and make extra passes.”
“We’re treating them like a completely new team. I don’t think there’s any carryover from when I played them last.”
Shulga was named Atlantic 10 Player of the Year in 2025.
He’s correct in noting the major changes to BYU. Kevin Young now leads the team, and only two players (Trevin Knell and Fousseyni Traore) remain from the BYU roster that faced Shulga’s Aggies in 2021
Shulga is leading a red-hot VCU squad into the NCAA Tournament, having helped the Rams clinch an A-10 title last week.
Since the start of 2025, VCU has posted an 18-2 record.
Does this recent success, particularly from their A-10 Tournament run, give them a shot at upsetting No. 6 seed BYU?
“I’d say yes, because even though we played three games in three days, it was a momentum-building experience. But everything moves so fast. You don’t really have time to think about it — we celebrated the win, but then we just moved on,” Shulga said.
“The next day, we watched film, then left, and now we’re here. It’s moving so quickly, there’s no time to really reflect. Now we have another game to play and try to win.”
BYU vs. VCU First Round – 2025 NCAA Tournament
Location: Denver, Colorado
Arena: Ball Arena
Tip-Off: 2:05 p.m. (MDT)
TV: TNT
Radio: KSL NewsRadio (102.7 FM, 1160 AM in Utah – Extended pregame begins at Noon)
