The VMI Keydets (8-18, 3-12 SoCon) will travel to Timmons Arena to square off against the Furman Paladins (19-9, 10-5 SoCon) in their home finale. The Over/Under (O/U) for the game opened at 140.5 points with Furman set as a 20.5-point favorite. Action gets underway at 7 p.m. ET on Tuesday, February 20, 2018.
VMI Keydets vs. Furman Paladins Betting Preview
The last time the Keydets played, they defeated the Citadel Bulldogs, 75-71. Bubba Parham was the games leading scorer with 25 points on 8-for-18 shooting. VMI dominated nearly every stat category in the game. They had a turnover percentage of 12.1 (better than their season average of 19.5) and an effective field goal percentage of 0.443 (below their season average of 0.468). Citadel put up marks of 15.4 and 0.383, respectively, for those same stats.
The Paladins will look to keep it rolling after defeating the Samford Bulldogs in their last outing, 94-79. Matt Rafferty played well for Furman, finishing with 12 points and 10 rebounds. Furman played a nearly flawless game. They had a fantastic offensive rebounding percentage of 35.1 (above their season average of 28.0) and a turnover percentage of 10.4 (better than their season average of 14.4). Samford was 15.6 and 14.6, respectively, for those same stats.
The prolific offense of Furman (35th in the NCAA with an offensive efficiency of 113.7) will face off against the mid-tier defense of VMI (224th in the NCAA with a defensive efficiency of 105.2). The Paladins should have the advantage on that side of the ball. It could also be a mistake-prone game for the Keydets offense, which ranks 326th in ball protection (turnover percentage of 21.6 percent). They’ll be going up against the top-notch defense of the Paladins, which forces the 53rd-most turnovers in the nation (21.4 percent).
Of VMI’s 19 games with betting action, 13 have finished under the O/U total, while 11 of Furman’s 22 games have finished over the projected point total. The Paladins come into this game with a significant advantage in both straight up (SU) and against the spread (ATS) records. They are 19-9 SU and 13-8-1 ATS, while the Keydets are 8-18 SU and 9-10 ATS.
Both teams have had a player heat up over their last five games. For the Keydets, it’s been Parham, who has averaged 14.0 points and 1.8 steals, while the Paladins have received solid contributions from Daniel Fowler (10.8 points, 3.6 assists and 1.6 steals).
These teams have already met once this season. The two teams combined to score 144 points in that game, which was just under the projected point total of 146.5. The Paladins won 87-57, covering as 11.5-point favorites. The Paladins 14.8 turnover percentage was their biggest strength over the Keydets, who had a rate of 24.1. Despite the loss, Parham was the games leading scorer with 21 points.
VMI Keydets vs. Furman Paladins ATS Prediction
Pick: SU Winner – Furman, ATS Winner – Furman, O/U – Under
Betting Notes:
- The Paladins rank 162nd in rebounds allowed per game (35.0) while the Keydets rank 244th (37.5).
- Furman ranks 46th in blocks allowed per game (2.7) while VMI ranks 104th (3.3).
- VMI is 5-7 ATS on the road with 7 unders and 5 overs.
- At home, Furman is 6-3-1 ATS with 7 unders and 3 overs.
- Furman ranks eighth in three pointers attempted per game (29.6) while VMI ranks 212th in three pointers allowed per game (23.4).
- The Paladins rank 30th in assists per game (16.5) while the Keydets rank 233rd (12.1).
- Furman ranks 18th in steals per game (8.0) while VMI ranks 184th in steals allowed per game (7.1).
Betting Trends:
- Furman is 3-2 ATS with 3 overs and 2 unders in their last five games.
- Over their last five games, VMI is 2-3 ATS with 4 unders and 1 over.
- The Paladins average margin of victory in their last five games has been 7.4, down from 10.6 for the season.
- During their last five games, the Keydets have scored an average of 60.0 points per game (4.6 below their season average) and allowed an average of 73.6 points per game (0.3 above their season average).
