Virginia Commonwealth University is the unanimous preseason pick to finish first in Atlantic 10 Conference basketball this season.

Coach Shaka Smart’s Rams have reached three straight NCAA tournaments. The team received all the first place votes cast by coaches and journalists at Media Day recently at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y.

George Washington, Dayton, Massachusetts and Richmond were picked second through fifth, respectively.

VCU seniors Treveon Graham and Briante Weber were named preseason All-Atlantic 10.

Graham is within 605 points of becoming VCU’s all-time scorer based on stats starting with the 1968-69 season.

Eric Maynor is listed as VCU’s all-time scorer with 1,953 points scored from 2005 through 2008, but Len Creech scored 2,019 points for VCU and its precursor, Richmond Professional Institute, combined, from 1965 to 1967 and 1968 through 1969.

RPI and the Medical College of Virginia merged in 1968, forming VCU.

Weber averaged 9.4 points last season while leading the nation with 3.5 steals per game.

VCU basketball opens Nov. 14 against Tennessee in the Veteran’s Classic in Annapolis, Md. Game time is 6:30 p.m. on the CBS Sports Network.