The Rams have put together a couple strong performances back-to-back. They’ll get a real test on Friday when the No. 17 Dayton Flyers come to town looking to extend their own winning streak to nine straight.
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HOW THE DAYTON FLYERS CAN COVER THE SPREAD
Dayton got the better of the Rams last March, picking up the 56-52 win the Barclays Center, enough to cover the spread. The Flyers will look to repeat that success.
Rhode Island comes into action with a below average offense that’s struggled against some of the better defensive teams. Dayton, meanwhile, ranks No. 22 on defense, allowing only 64 PPG. They’re also holding opponents below 40 percent shooting from the floor.
In their last two games, the Rams’ offense has produced, but before that, Rhode Island was held below 56 in back-to-back contests.
The Rams do provide a bit of a challenge with their defense, however. Rhode Island’s defense is nearly as good as the Flyers, but Dayton’s offense is none too shabby, shooting 47.2 percent from the field and rebounding a respectable 38.5 times per game, to give the team plenty of chances.
In terms of individual talent, the Flyers have a rather stacked team. Charles Cook takes care of business in the backcourt and leads the team in scoring with 16.4 PPG. He’s one of four players tallying double-digits. On the outside, he’s joined by Scoochie Smith while Dyshawn Pierre and Kendall Pollard are strong presences inside. Pierre is a strong rebounder and a big piece of the team scoring less than 11 points only twice in his 12 total games. Pollard meanwhile has been a bit more inconsistent, though he’s shooting 52.1 percent from the floor.
To add insult to injury for the Rams, they could be without Kuran Iverson who’s dealing with concussion symptoms. The young forward is the team’s top rebounder with 6.6 RPG and a solid inside scorer to boot.
HOW THE RHODE ISLAND RAMS CAN COVER THE SPREAD
Both Pollard and Pierre showed weakness in the Flyers’ last game. Sure, Dayton got the win, but the Flyers failed to cover the spread as the duo of forwards combined for just 12-points.
Duquesne found a good answer for the Flyers’ inside game. If the Rams can follow a similar game plan, they’ve got a superior defense to carry it out.
While Dayton has won a number in a row, they’ve failed to cover the spread in two of their last three games while the Rams may be on to something now with back-to-back wins both SU and ATS.
The offense has turned around of late scoring 160-points in those two games. Considering the defense has always been there a surprising offensive performance against the Flyers would certainly put them over the top, at least ATS.
Iverson’s health is a concern, but even if he misses, the team still has four players scoring in the double-digits without him.
If the Rams can manage to hold defensively inside, they’ve got the guards to do some damage on the perimeter, particularly with Jarvis Garrett and Jared Terrell each scoring 13.3 PPG.
ANALYSIS AND PREDICTION
The Rams’ performance in their last two games has been encouraging for those looking to back Rhode Island, but I’d recommend fading the Rams at home against a much more successful Flyers’ team.
Dayton is a ranked team, having found success against better teams than Rhode Island all college basketball season. The Flyers are also better offensively according to the statistics and they enter the healthier team as well.
While the Rams do well enough ATS at home, I’m backing a Dayton team that’s 5-1 ATS on the road.
Dayton 68, Rhode Island 62
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