The Rhode Island Rams are looking to put the finishing touches on a dominant conference showing as the regular season comes to a close. There are only three games left in A-10 play as Rhode Island takes aim at knocking off the Dayton Flyers next time out.
Rhode Island is nationally ranked and comfortably set up to make the NCAA Tournament but is hoping to secure as high of a seed as possible. The Rams are the higher seed and have the home court advantage so they will be a comfortable favorite in this one.
Dayton seems to have little chance at pulling the upset, but the spread could be large, so if it keeps the game reasonably close a cover is certainly possible.
At 7 p.m. ET, tune into ESPN2 for live television coverage of this NCAA basketball game on Friday, February 23, 2018, at the Ryan Center.
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Odds Analysis
Dayton is 12-14 straight up and 9-17 against the spread. The Flyers have struggled on the road, covering in only two of nine attempts. Dayton is 2-7 against the spread as the underdog on the season.
Rhode Island is 21-4 straight up and 13-10 against the spread. The Rams have gone 8-4 against the spread at home this season. They have covered in 12 of 19 tries as the favorite.
Last Meeting
Dayton had the advantage of playing at home in the first matchup between these teams but was unable to pull the upset. Rhode Island jumped out to a halftime lead and then cruised home for an 88-74 win. It was the Rams’ tenth straight win at the time.
Rhode Island was led in that one by Jared Terrell, who poured in 24 points on 9-of-17 from the field. The Rams shot 50 percent from the field. Interestingly, Dayton shot a sparkling 63 percent from the floor but turned the ball over 21 times, which ended its chances at winning.
If the Flyers can shoot that well again they will almost certainly cover, but they must do a much better job taking care of the ball in this rematch.
Player To Watch
Josh Cunningham -- The Flyers’ best chance at sticking around will be by feeding the ball to their leading scorer. Cunningham, a junior forward, is averaging 16.4 points, 8.6 rebounds and 0.6 steals per contest.
He is shooting very efficiently from the field, connecting on 65.5 percent of his shots. Cunningham does not take many outside shots, so Dayton has to make sure to get him the ball in prime position as the Rams could choose to double team him often in the post.
Cunningham had a huge game the first time these teams played, registering 32 points and 12 rebounds. Rhode Island will no doubt be keeping a close eye on him so he can’t hurt them as much this time around.
Free NCAA Men’s Basketball ATS Picks
Dayton’s best chance at beating the Rams this year came and went with those turnovers at home. The Flyers likely won’t shoot as well in this one and will have little answer for Rhode Island on the defensive end of the floor.
Take the Rams to easily dispatch Dayton in this matchup. Even though the spread is expected to be a large one -- likely double digits -- Rhode Island is still a legitimate candidate to cover. The Rams have done a great job of dominating inferior competition regularly this season and this game will be no exception.
This game won’t be as high scoring as the first matchup, so check to see where the scoring total checks in.
NCAA Men’s Basketball Odds: Rhode Island 73, Dayton 60
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