Davidson has a slightly inferior record but has the home court advantage so this may be a competitive matchup. Both teams enter playing well and each side is aiming to come away with a key victory in this showdown. The A-10 likely won’t get very many bids to the NCAA men’s basketball tournament so the teams really need to impress to get consideration.
This war on the floor will go down Friday, February 3, 2017, at 11 p.m. ET at the John M. Belk Arena in Davidson, North Carolina. The game will be televised live on ESPN2.
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Odds at BookMaker.eu
Davidson is 11-8 straight up and 8-9 against the spread. The Wildcats have played in six games at home this season and have covered in three of them. Davidson is 6-6 against the spread as the favorite this season and 2-3 as the underdog.
Rhode Island is 14-7 straight up and 10-10 against the spread. The Rams have played in seven road games and have not fared very well there, covering in only two of those. That’s certainly something to consider when the spread for this game comes out.
Rhode Island is 9-8 against the spread as the favorite on the season. It has been the underdog three times and covered once.
Key Stat
43.9. That’s the number of points per game the Davidson duo of Jack Gibbs and Peyton Aldridge combine to average per game, which is more than half of the team total. They are the only two players on the team who average in double figures, and clearly will be the object of Rhode Island’s attention.
Gibbs averages 22.7 points, 4.3 assists and 4.0 rebounds per contest. He is shooting 43.7 percent from the field and 41.3 percent from three-point range. Gibbs had a fantastic recent run in which he scored 30, 25, 32 and 28 in consecutive games but really struggled last time out, scoring only six points and committing five turnovers in a win over Saint Joe’s.
Aldridge is averaging 21.2 points, 7.3 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game, shooting 51.1 percent from the field and 43.7 percent from three-point range. While Gibbs struggled last time out, Aldridge was great, scoring 33 points and and hauling down 13 rebounds in the win.
Player to Watch
Hassan Martin - Rhode Island’s senior forward will be one of the best players on the court. He is averaging 14.2 points, 6.7 rebounds and a super impressive 3.3 blocks per game. Martin is shooting a sparkling 62.7 percent from the field and is a true threat on both sides of the court.
Davidson is allowing 70.6 points per game, and Martin is one of the key players that must be kept in check. The Rams have better balance, but when Martin plays well his team tends to follow suit.
He has scored 17 points or more in four of the team’s past five games, and Rhode Island has won all of those games. In the lone loss during that stretch, he scored eight points.
Free College Basketball ATS Picks
The Rams have a slightly better record and the deeper dive on statistics also shows a slight edge. Rhode Island, though, has not been great on the road this year, which may take away that advantage.
Davidson has won three straight games and tested itself in the non-conference season, which gave it good experience. The Wildcats’ home court advantage will be enough to pull out the win over Rhode Island.
College Basketball Odds: Davidson 72, Rhode Island 67
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