DENVER — Virginia Commonwealth likely is most remembered for its surprising appearance in the Final Four in 2011.The No. 11 Rams are looking to take the first step toward another deep run in this year’s NCAA Tournament when they face sixth-seeded BYU in the first round of the East Region on Thursday.VCU (28-6) reached the NCAA Tournament for the third time in five years but has not made it out of the first round since 2016. The Rams boast their best record in 13 years and are coming off winning the Atlantic 10 regular season and tournament titles.The Atlantic 10 doesn’t have the same level of competition as the Big 12 Conference, and VCU coach Ryan Odom acknowledged that BYU (24-9) has faced stiffer opponents.”Playing in that conference that they play in, we’re not seeing that caliber every single night,” Odom said on KSL.com. “That’s not a knock on our conference; it just is what it is. The bodies, night in and night out, are really tough to deal with and (facing) different styles. You’re facing a ranked team most nights. They’ve performed at a really, really high level.”The Rams are led by their strong backcourt. Their top four scorers are guards Max Shulga and Joe Bamisile, who both average 15.1 points a game, Phillip Russell (10.6) and Zeb Jackson (10.4). VCU averages 77.1 points a game and has a stingy defense that allows just 62.4 points.The Cougars had a successful first season in the tough Big 12, finishing third overall and reaching the tournament semifinals before falling to the No. 2 team in the country, Houston. That defeat ended a nine-game winning streak that included victories at Arizona, Arizona State and Iowa State.