If you’re Virginia Commonwealth University center Marcus Santos-Silva, here’s your weekend assignment:

On Friday, you’ll be trading elbows with the nation’s tallest player. And if you clear that hurdle, you’ll have a Sunday date under the backboards with arguably the nation’s best player.

Here’s the deal:

The VCU Rams, who are ranked No. 8 in the NCAA Division I East Region playoffs, will take on No. 9 University of Central Florida on Friday, March 22, in Columbia, S.C. UCF’s team features 7-foot-6, 310-pound senior Tacko Fall, a native of Senegal.

The Rams are 25-7 after losing to the University of Rhode Island 75-70 in the Atlantic 10 Tournament quarterfinals in Brooklyn, N.Y. The defeat snapped the Rams’ 12-game winning streak.

The UCF’s Knights are 23-8, but on a two-game losing streak. Coach Johnny Dawkins’ squad dropped its regular season finale at Temple University and then lost to the University of Memphis in the opening of the American Athletic Conference tournament.      

The winner of Friday’s VCU-UCF game will play the overall No. 1 seed Duke University on Sunday, March 24. Duke’s marquee player is 6-foot-8, 280-pound Zion Williamson, who is the favorite for National Player of the Year and to be the top NBA draft pick.

Santos-Silva, an emerging star, was impressive against Rhode Island. The 6-foot-7 sophomore had 26 points and 22 rebounds in the game. He became the first player in A-10 tournament history to collect as many as 20 points and 20 rebounds in the same outing.   

VCU’s single game rebound record of 28 was set by Jabo Wilkins against Southeastern University in 1970. The previous Division I mark is believed to be 19 by Martin Henlan against Indiana in 1988.

Tower of power: UCF’s Fall averages 11 points, eight rebounds and 2.9 blocked shots. He is also among the tallest collegians of all time.

The tallest ever is 7-foot-8 George Bell, a Norfolk native who played at Morris Brown University in Georgia and Biola University in Los Angeles in the early 1980s.

Listed at 7-foot-7 were Manute Bol of the University of Bridgeport, 1984-85, and Kenny George of the University of North Carolina-Asheville, 2006-08.

Coach’s son: Aubrey Dawkins, son of UCF Coach Johnny Dawkins, is a 6-foot-6 wing averaging 15.2 points. Aubrey Dawkins transferred to UCF from the University of Michigan. Coach Dawkins is a former Duke All-American and in his third season as the Knights’ coach.

Coincidences: Both VCU and UCF wear black and gold uniforms. And while the two schools have rarely played against one another in any sport, VCU just lost a baseball game to UCF in Orlando last weekend.

Oh, what a relief: The Rams held their collective breath at the A-10 Tournament in Brooklyn when leading scorer and All-A-10 guard Marcus Evans went down with a knee injury. Although doom was first feared, MRI results showed no structural damage and Evans is expected to play Friday. 

Close to home: VCU forward De’Riante Jenkins hails from Marion, S.C., about 100 miles east of Columbia. Jenkins averages 11.4 points and is the team leader in 3-pointers with 61.

Waffle House special: Friday’s 9:40 p.m. start time could make for some late celebration for the winner. VCU fans consider it a good omen.

The Rams began their Final Four quest in 2011 with an opening round victory over the University of Southern California that ended just a few minutes before midnight.

Black & Gold rush: VCU feels it has among the best “traveling crowds” in the country. Rams fans far outnumbered any other school’s fan pack in Brooklyn, albeit for one game.

Columbia, S.C., is 370 miles from Richmond, well within range for the Rams’ fan base. The regional game in South Carolina is practically a “home game” for VCU after previous NCAA trips. In past tournaments, the Rams were dispatched to Portland, Ore., in 2015, to Oklahoma City in 2016 and Salt Lake City in 2017.

VCU had been to seven straight “dances” before sitting out last season.