One of the lesser known rivalries in the nation is the Capital City Classic between the Richmond Spiders and VCU Rams. The Rams currently lead the series 47-28 and will look to win their third in a row in this rivalry Friday night at home.
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HOW THE RICHMOND SPIDERS CAN COVER THE SPREAD
At 14-10, Richmond currently sits in sixth place within the Atlantic 10 and will need to win the Atlantic 10 tournament to make the field of 68, but beating your cross-town rival on its court is a pretty good prize in itself.
Richmond's leading scorer is Terry Allen, who is averaging 18.5 points per game and shooting 50 percent from the field over the course of the season. Allen has some talent for a big man aside from the usual tools. He not only leads the team in rebounds with 8.2 RPG, but is also tops on the team in steals with 1.6 per game. The last time Richmond and VCU squared off, Allen put up 18-8 but it wasn't enough to keep VCU from beating Richmond on its home court.
The Spiders have another big man who is capable of making plays in T.J. Cline. Cline is second on the team in points, 16.7 PPG, and rebounds 5.0 RPG, but even at 6'9 leads the team in assists with four a game. He also shoots 55.7 percent from the floor, making him a very efficient big man.
HOW THE VCU RAMS CAN COVER THE SPREAD
It would've been easy for VCU to fold and go back to being a relatively unknown mid-major after Shaka Smart left for Texas, but the Rams are once again contending for a conference title. If the Rams can win their last five games, they can at least claim a share of the A-10 crown.
Melvin Johnson may be leading the team in points, but the last time these teams played, JeQuan Lewis was the hero for the Rams. Lewis hit nine of his 14 shots from the floor and three of his four three point attempts en route to a career high 29 points. Lewis seems to have found a shooting aspect to his game that he didn't show before that game and has averaged 17 points a game since.
This team will go as far as Johnson takes them at the end of the day though. Melvin Johnson made just over a third of his shots when VCU played Richmond a month ago and wasn't at his most effective.
He and Lewis also embody the spirit of the team from last year with the two combining to average for 3.3 steals per game.
ANALYSIS AND ODDS PREDICTION
Richmond is 9-12 ATS on the season with a 4-5 mark away from home. The Spiders are just 3-6 ATS in their last nine heading into this one and they haven't covered a spread as an underdog since a win over George Washington back on January 28.
VCU is a sterling 14-6 against the number for the year with a 6-3 record at home. The Rams were undefeated in conference play until consecutive losses to George Washington and Massachusetts left them a game behind Dayton for first.
This rivalry is a lighter version of Duke-North Carolina with the extremely close proximity of the schools as well as the public school versus private school dynamic. VCU needed overtime to get past Richmond earlier in the year, but should be able to get the job done in regulation this time around.
Back the Rams here and lay the points.
VCU 78, Richmond 67
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BookMaker's live betting platform means you always have access to odds and lines to every sporting event. Click here and start wagering today! The game between the Richmond Spiders and the VCU Rams is scheduled for Friday, February 19, 2016 at 7:00 p.m. ET at the Stuart Siegel Center. The game will be televised nationally on ESPN2.
