A10 foes will battle when the VCU Rams (15-10, 7-5 A10) go head-to-head against the Davidson Wildcats (13-10, 8-4 A10) at Stuart Siegel Center. Davidson opened as a 3-point favorite, while the games Over/Under (O/U) has been set at 146.5 points. Action begins at 7 p.m. ET on Wednesday, February 14, 2018, and it can be seen on CBS Sports Network.
Davidson Wildcats at VCU Rams ATS Preview
The Wildcats were beaten by the No. 18 Rhode Island Rams in their last contest, 72-59. With 19 points on 8-for-14 shooting, Kellan Grady was the games high scorer. Rhode Island held the Wildcats to an offensive rebounding percentage of 7.7 (below their season average of 24.1). Davidson, meanwhile, had a better turnover percentage (15.7 vs. 15.7).
The last time the Rams played, they beat the Dayton Flyers, 88-84. With 37 points on 17-for-25 shooting, Justin Tillman was the game’s high scorer. VCU dominated nearly every facet of the game. They had a turnover percentage of 16.8 (worse than their season average of 16.5) and an effective field goal percentage of 0.597 (above their season average of 0.521). Dayton put up marks of 20.3 and 0.543, respectively, for those same stats.
Points at the line could be scarce for VCU in this showdown. The Rams currently rank 280th in the NCAA with a free throw attempt (FTA) rate of 0.208, while Davidson ranks 56th in FTA rate allowed (0.198).
These two teams are complete opposites in terms of the O/U total. Davidson games have finished under 59.1 percent of the time, while games including VCU have gone over 57.1 percent of the time. Both teams have decent straight up (SU) records (13-10 for Davidson; 15-10 for VCU), but the Wildcats have the advantage against the spread (ATS). Davidson is 12-9-1 ATS, while the Rams are 11-10.
Both teams have had a player trending in the right direction over their last five games. For the Wildcats, it’s been Grady, who has averaged 17.4 points and 1.4 steals, while the Rams have gotten great contributions from Tillman (20.8 points, 8.8 rebounds and 1.6 blocks).
This is the first time these teams will battle this year. Each won one of the two games played against each other last season. In the most recent game, the Rams won 74-60. The Rams dominated every stat category in the game. They had a solid free throw rate of 0.291 and an effective field goal percentage of 0.527. The Wildcats recorded marks of 0.172 and 0.431, respectively, for those same stats.
Davidson Wildcats vs. VCU Rams Free Prediction
College Basketball Pick: SU Winner – Davidson, ATS Winner – Davidson, O/U – Under
Betting Notes:
- The Wildcats average 28.6 three pointers per game, which ranks 11th in the nation. The Rams rank 165th in three pointers allowed per game (22.4).
- Davidson is 35th in the nation with 2.6 blocks allowed per game while VCU is 57th with 2.9 blocks allowed per game.
- Davidson is 7-6-1 ATS on the road, while VCU is 7-4 ATS at home.
- The total has gone under in 9 of the Wildcats 14 road games, while 7 of the Rams 11 home games have gone under.
- VCU ranks 88th in rebounds per game (37.1) while Davidson ranks 265th (32.7).
- The Wildcats rank 14th in assists per game (17.3) while the Rams rank 186th in assists allowed per game (14.4).
- Davidson ranks 23rd in steals allowed per game (5.0) while VCU ranks 182nd (7.1).
Betting Trends:
- VCU is 3-2 ATS with 4 overs and 1 under in their last five games.
- Over their last five games, Davidson is 3-2 ATS with 3 overs and 2 unders.
- The Rams have been outscored by an average of 0.2 points in their last five games. On the season, VCU has defeated opponents by an average of 2.1 points.
- During their last five games, the Wildcats have scored an average of 76.8 points per game (0.8 above their season average) and allowed an average of 64.6 points per game (2.5 below their season average).
