College Basketball Betting: VCU at Davidson
The Atlantic 10 has been flying below the radar all season long in college basketball. Despite having zero teams in the Top 25 at present, the conference boasts four 20-win teams and six that have notched ten wins in league play. With the regular season title still undecided, Thursday night’s matchup between VCU and Davidson looms large. The Rams’ home loss to first-place Dayton on Saturday in all likelihood eliminated them from the crown, but the second-place Wildcats still have a shot by virtue of their 77-60 victory over Dayton in January, and a seven-game winning streak that will be extended to eight if they beat VCU tonight. Here’s a preview and prediction of the action.
VCU AT DAVIDSON -4
The Rams have been in and out of the Top 25 all season, but five defeats in their last nine have knocked them out once again. However, blowout losses to Villanova and Virginia, and a December win against Northern Iowa has elevated their RPI ranking to 18. They played Dayton tough last weekend, but a 34% effort from the floor, including a 4-14 performance from leading-scorer Treveon Graham, doomed their chances. Graham and the rest of Shaka Smart’s four-guard lineup must be sharper. Spotty shooting and a lack of size in the post have hampered VCU all season, especially in their eight defeats. They are 5-2 on the road in their last seven and have an experienced roster with plenty of big game experience. That said, losses down the stretch do draw attention from the selection committee.
Davidson dropped the first meeting versus VCU after missing 18 of 28 three-point attempts and committing 15 turnovers. Four Wildcats net double-digits in scoring, led by senior Tyler Kalinoski, who is averaging 16.2 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 4 assists. He and junior Brian Sullivan have both converted 70 shots from beyond the arc. The team is among the national leaders in points and assists, and are efficient from the field. Like VCU, they don’t possess much size or low post presence, so expect a run-n-gun track meet in front of a lively home crowd. The Cats’ RPI sits at 34 with losses to North Carolina and Virginia on their resume. If they don’t seize the conference crown, they will end up on the evergrowing pile of bubble teams nervously awaiting their March Madness fate.
VCU has been terrible ATS, going 11-17 overall and 6-7 on the road. By contrast, Davidson has been one of the best versus the number, going 20-4 overall and an impressive 10-2 at home. The Rams still miss Briante Weber, who was lost to an ACL tear in early February. Look for a the Cats to cover.
