Dayton might be the best mid-major team this season no one is paying close attention to. Ranked No. 22 in one national poll and with the 17-best RPI, the Flyers ended a two-game losing streak, their first in more than two years, by squeaking by St. Louis on Tuesday.
You can bet on college basketball odds at BookMaker.eu every day of the season.
HOW THE RHODE ISLAND RAMS CAN COVER THE SPREAD
The Rams will finish the season relying on grit and toughness to keep them competitive. It’s been a trying season, one coach Dan Hurley couldn’t have envisioned four months ago when he left Atlantic-10 media day. In the wake of season ending injuries to guard E.C. Matthews and forward Hassan Martin, Rhode Island will turn to several underclassmen to carry the load the rest of the way.
The Rams lost Matthews, a preseason All-A-10 pick to a torn ACL in the season’s first game. They managed to be competitive in his absence. Tuesday, the news on Martin came. Another preseason all-conference player was lost due to a knee injury he received against Davidson.
Rhode Island isn’t going to the NCAA Tournament, but a run through the A-10 tournament was a possibility. Now the Rams will turn to the youngsters to give fans a glimpse of what’s in store for next season. And the view could be a nice one.
The scoring of sophomore guards Jared Terrell and Jarvis Garrett will take the Rams deep in games. They each average better than 13 points to lead the team and the offense revolves around their play. When they’re on the Rams are tough.
HOW THE DAYTON FLYERS CAN COVER THE SPREAD
Dayton’s confidence was reeling after losing two straight games for the first time in more than two years. The Flyers didn’t play poorly, they just played bad enough to not win. They went to St. Louis Tuesday and won a game that may have turned the season around.
It’s not that the Flyers won the game – they’ve done plenty of that this season. Rather how they won it. In one that could only fall into the category of Best Worst Game Ever, the Flyers committed 17 turnovers, shot 24 percent from three-point range, scored 14 points in the first half and somehow rallied to beat the Billikens in overtime.
UD won a game it probably shouldn’t have, just when it needed to. The Flyers also crept into a first place tie with St. Joe’s and VCU atop the league standings with three games remaining.
Shooting woes have contributed to Dayton’s malaise. In the last three games, the Flyers made 24.6 percent of their threes. They made 46.9 percent in the three games before that. Leading scorer Charles Cooke and Darrell Davis have struggled the most. The game will get a lot easier if they can get some shots to fall.
ANALYSIS AND ODDS PREDICTION
Rhode Island was able to work around the loss of all-conference performer Matthews since the injury occurred in the first basketball game of the year. Still a big loss. With Martin going down Tuesday, the Rams face a stiffer challenge. On top of that, guard Christion Thompson is out of the lineup with a concussion, staggering the rotation even more. The Rams will play hard – they always do – but their severe lack of depth will be an issue against a deep Dayton squad. Besides, the Flyers are feeling giddy about a win at St. Louis that probably shouldn’t have happened. As bad as they played, the Rams were able to extract a victory, end a two-game losing streak and move into a tie for first after VCU’s upset loss. Good teams do things like that, and use those types of moments to propel forward. And it’s hard to not back a team with a player named Scoochie. Not only is it a cool name, Scoochie Smith is also one of Dayton’s top players, who went for 13 points in UD’s two-point road win over URI two weeks ago.
Dayton 74, Rhode Island 61
BookMaker offers play-by-play betting odds for live sporting events every day! The user-friendly wagering interface on your smartphone provides an easy way to place bets on the go. Mobile betting lines are updated by the minute, so click here to start gambling on thrilling live action at BookMaker Sportsbook! The matchup between the Rhode Island Rams and Dayton Flyers will go down Saturday, February 27, 2016 at 12 p.m. ET at the Dayton Arena. The matchup will be televised live on ESPN2.
