Although the Atlantic 10 might be having a down year by the conference’s lofty standards, two teams have emerged as frontrunners and potential bracket busters come March.
One of them needs no introduction. The VCU Rams are becoming a name brand nationwide after almost a decade of continued success as a mid-major. VCU has not gotten the marquee win it needs yet this season, but it hung close with Virginia and Texas.
The other team is a squad that just started making noise last season. All offseason, sharps have been high on the Rhode Island Rams, and this team might end up grabbing a top four seed when its all said and done.
This war on the floor will go down Friday, February 2, 2018, at 7 p.m. ET at the Stuart C. Siegel Center in Richmond, Virginia. The game will be televised live on ESPN2. We'll have NCAA basketball odds at BookMaker.eu available for this and every game on the college basketball Friday schedule.
Opening College Basketball Odds at BookMaker.eu
Rhode Island has been exceptional this season. The Rams three losses have come at the hands of Virginia, Nevada, and Alabama, and they nearly beat the Crimson Tide on the road despite being short-handed. They got a huge win against Seton Hall early in the year and are currently undefeated in conference play.
As more and more people jump on the bandwagon, the Rams have had to cover larger numbers. They had covered seven of their past eight, but barely squeaked by in their last two games, and didn’t cover in either. The over is 6-1 in Rhode Island road games this year.
VCU has not dominated in the A-10 like we expected. Mike Rhoades has had some growing pains in his first year back in Richmond and that has led to some curious losses. The Rams were drilled in back-to-back games by Dayton and Richmond, two teams with under-.500 records on the year.
At home, the Rams have played their best defense. Four of their last five home games have gone under the total, with VCU’s opponent topping out at 67 points over that span.
Key Stat
VCU is typically known for its defense, but this season the defense has had some issues. The Rams are in the bottom 100 in field goal percentage, allowing opponents to hit 45.4 percent of their field goals per game. That has led to this team struggling, and not putting opponents away like it has in the past.
When you think of VCU, you think of HAVOC. That was the style of play that put the Rams on the map, as they forced opponents into constant turnovers with their pressure. This season, VCU is in the middle of the pack when it comes to turnovers forced. The team is forcing just 13.5 turnovers per game.
Rhode Island is one of the least turnover-prone teams in the nation. The Rams have a turnover on just 13.8 percent of their possessions, and that’s one of the best numbers in the country. VCU will have a hard time getting takeaways here.
Player to Watch
Jared Terrell has been the star of the show for Rhode Island this year. The fourth-year senior has really turned it up across the board, posting his best averages in a myriad of different categories.
It took Terrell some time, but he finally found his shooting touch. He is hitting 45.9 percent of his field goals this season, and that’s despite shooting a three on almost 40 percent of his shots. From downtown, he is hitting 41.6 percent on the year.
Free College Basketball ATS Picks
Going with a road favorite is a risky proposition in college basketball, but it feels like the right side here. Rhode Island doesn’t make many mistakes and that will help them handle VCU’s pressure.
College Basketball Odds: Rhode Island 74, VCU 68
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