The Rhode Island Rams (17-14, 10-9 A10), 7.5-point underdogs, take on the VCU Rams (25-6, 16-2 A10) in the Atlantic 10 Conference Tourney at Barclays Center. The game’s Over/Under (O/U) has been set at 131.5 points and it can be seen on NBC Sports Network at 12 p.m. ET on Friday, March 15, 2019.
Rhode Island Rams vs. VCU Rams Betting Odds
In Rhode Island’s last outing, they easily got past the La Salle Explorers, 76-57, comfortably covering as an 8-point favorite. VCU, on the other hand, beat the Saint Joseph’s Hawks in its last matchup,75-63, resulting in a push. The Rhode Island game went 4.5 points under the projected point total of 137.5, while the VCU game finished 3.5 points under the projected point total of 141.5.
Rhode Island played a nearly flawless game. They had a fantastic free throw rate of 0.364 (above their season average of 0.248) and an effective field goal percentage of 0.509 (above their season average of 0.475). La Salle put up marks of 0.197 and 0.369, respectively, for those same stats. VCU, meanwhile, had a better effective field goal percentage (0.551 vs. 0.458). Marcus Evans played well for VCU, finishing with 23 points. Meanwhile, Rhode Island rallied around Cyril Langevine, who contributed 25 points and 12 rebounds.
Of Rhode Island’s 30 games that accepted bets, 17 have gone over the projected point total. Rhode Island comes into the game with records of 17-14 straight up (SU) and 14-16 against the spread (ATS).
Unlike Rhode Island, games featuring VCU have a tendency to finish under the total (58.1 percent). Moreover, VCU is 25-6 SU and 19-10-2 ATS.
Rhode Island’s Fatts Russell has been playing well over his last five games, averaging 23 points,4.0 assists,4.0 steals per game. Meanwhile, Marcus Evans has averaged 16 points,4.4 assists,2.0 steals during that same time frame for VCU.
Rhode Island vs. VCU Pick
Pick: SU Winner – VCU, ATS Winner – VCU, O/U – Over
Betting Notes:
- VCU ranks 115th in three pointers attempted per game (23.4) while Rhode Island ranks 278th (18.8).
- VCU ranks 32nd in assists allowed per game (10.9) while Rhode Island ranks 103rd (12.5).
- Rhode Island averages 36.3 rebounds per game, which ranks 115th in the country. VCU ranks 176th in rebounds allowed per game (35.5).
- Rhode Island averages 7.3 steals per game, which ranks 57th in the nation. VCU ranks 139th in steals allowed per game (6.5).
- VCU ranks 28th in blocks allowed per game (2.5) while Rhode Island ranks 110th (3.2).
Bettings Trends:
- Rhode Island is 4-1 ATS over their last five games, while VCU is 2-2-1.
- In their last five games, Rhode Island has 4 overs and 1 under, while VCU has 3 unders and 2 overs.
- During their last five games, Rhode Island has scored an average of 81.6 points per game (11.7 above their season average) and allowed an average of 68.0 points per game (0.2 above their season average).
- VCU’s average margin of victory in their last five games has been 16.8, up from 10.3 for the season.
