Virginia Commonwealth University has taken one step backward. Now it needs to take a giant leap forward, and there’s no time to dilly-dally.

Coach Mike Rhoades’ Rams lost to St. Bonaventure 74-65 in the Atlantic-10 Conference final last Sunday in Dayton, Ohio.

There was no coming home to Richmond to grab a second wind.

From Dayton, the Rams headed straight to Indianapolis where they will play the University of Oregon Saturday in the first round of the NCAA West Region.

The 19-7 Rams are seeded 10th; the 20-6 Ducks of the Pac-12 Conference are seeded seventh.

The VCU-Oregon winner will advance to face the survivor of the University of Iowa (No. 2) versus Grand Canyon University (No. 15) contest Monday, March 22. Iowa showcases first team All-American Luka Garza.

For VCU, A-10 Player of the Year Nah’Shon “Bones” Hyland had 21 points and Vince Williams scored 12 points against St. Bonaventure. Freshman Josh Banks came off the bench to hit four-of-four from the field and score 10 points.

This will be VCU’s 18th trip to the NCAAs dating to 1980, and its 12th since 2004 under five different coaches, Jeff Capel,Anthony Grant, Shaka Smart, Will Wade and now Rhoades. Coach Smart took the Rams all the way to the Final Four in 2011, the only time in the team’s history.

VCU’s last NCAA victory, in 2016, came against Oregon State before losing the next round to Oklahoma. The Rams lost in the first round to St. Mary’s in 2017 and Central Florida in 2019.

There was no March Madness in 2020 due to the pandemic.

VCU has faced Oregon once before, defeating the Ducks in a 2014 early-season tournament in Brooklyn, N.Y.

Oregon is coached by Dana Altman, who is 279-109 with the Ducks and 689-352 in a career that has included stops at Marshall, Kansas State and Creighton universities. Coach Altman guided the Ducks to the NCAA Sweet Sixteen in 2019.

The Ducks have a veteran lineup led by 6-foot-6 Chris Duarte and 6-foot-6 Eugene Omoruyi, both seniors averaging 17 points per game.

Also averaging double digits are 6-foot-6 senior L.J. Figueroa (12.3 points), 6-foot-5 senior Will Richardson (11.1) and 6-foot-6 junior Eric Williams Jr. (10.4). The tallest player in regular rotation is 6-foot-8 Chandler Lawson, who averages 4.6 points.

The Rams will need to defend the arc. The Ducks, who lost to Oregon State in the Pac-12 semifinals in Las Vegas, have made 218 3-point shots on 38 percent accuracy from the distance.

In 1939, Oregon, then known as the Webfoots, won the inaugural NCAA Tournament, defeating Ohio State 46-33 in the final.

More recently, Oregon has been nicknamed “The University of Nike.” With headquarters in Beaverton, Ore., the corporation has supplied considerable money and apparel to the Pacific Northwest school. The sponsorship has paid off on the playing fields.