The Rhode Island Rams have vaulted into the national rankings and are hoping to finish with an undefeated mark in Atlantic-10 Play. They will face one of their toughest remaining tests against the Davidson Wildcats next time out.
Davidson isn’t nationally ranked but it sits in second place in the conference and has the ability to keep things tight. However, Rhode Island is not only the better team but also has the home court advantage, which should make it a sizable favorite to take care of business.
While the Rams may not be considered national title contenders no matter how well they finish, an undefeated mark in the conference would still turn some heads and set them up with a need seed in March Madness.
At 11 p.m. ET, tune into ESPN 2 for live television coverage of this NCAA basketball game on Friday, February 9, 2018, at the Ryan Center.
We'll have NCAA basketball odds at BookMaker.eu available for this and every game on the college basketball Friday schedule.
Odds Analysis
Davidson is 12-9 straight up and 11-9 against the spread. The Wildcats have played nine road games this season and covered in five of them. Davidson has only been the underdog four times and has covered in half of those matchups.
Rhode Island is 19-3 straight up and 11-9 against the spread. The Rams have covered in six of their 10 home games on the year. Rhode Island is 10-6 against the spread as the favorite.
Key Stat
14. That’s how many games in a row that Rhode Island has won coming into this matchup against Davidson. The Rams have really taken off in conference play against teams that clearly have trouble hanging with them for 40 minutes.
Rhode Island’s only losses this season all came in the first eight contests. The Rams fell to Nevada, Virginia and Alabama before igniting on this current winning streak.
The team captured its most recent win a week ago, defeating VCU 81-68 to move to 11-0 in conference play. Rhode Island also has recent victories over Dayton and George Mason and pulled off the upset over No. 20 Seton Hall back in November.
Rhode Island doesn’t have the same strength of schedule as teams in tougher conferences but is certainly taking care of business against everyone on the calendar.
Player To Watch
Peyton Aldridge — Davidson’s senior forward has been the difference-maker for the Wildcats this season. He is averaging 19.7 points and 6.8 rebounds on the season so far, and has turned in solid performances in big games.
Aldridge had 20 points and five rebounds against No. 8 Virginia back in December and finished with 22 points, seven rebounds and five assists against No. 13 North Carolina earlier this season. He will need another big performance here against Rhode Island to give his Wildcats a chance.
He won’t have to do it alone though as Davidson is one of the better passing teams in the country. Aldridge has some key players around him in freshman guard Kellan Grady and sophomore guard Jon Axel Gudmundsson who combined for another 31.2 points per game.
Free NCAA Men’s Basketball ATS Picks
Davidson has played in some big games so won’t be overwhelmed by this environment. Even though the record isn’t great, the team is solid. Much of this game will come down to which team can force turnovers.
If Davidson can gain extra possessions, this game will be closer than anticipated. Take Rhode Island to sneak out of this one with a win, but it won’t be as easy as the oddsmakers project. The Wildcats are the easy choice to cover the spread.
The game could be played at a slower pace than projected, so consider the “under” in this matchup.
NCAA Men’s Basketball Odds: Rhode Island 74, Davidson 72
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