Davidson vs. VCU Odds
| Davidson Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+2.5 -110 | 132 -110o / -110u | N/A |
| VCU Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-2.5 -110 | 132 -110o / -110u | N/A |
In a battle for what could be the Atlantic 10 crown, Davidson will travel to Richmond, Virginia to take on the VCU Rams as short road underdogs.
The Wildcats have not dropped a game since November 18, while St. Bonaventure smoked VCU in the Rams' last outing.
This game will be a clash of the stout defense of the Rams and the efficiency of the Wildcats' offense.
Both of these teams have been underrated by the market this season. VCU is 10-5 against the spread while Davidson owns one of the NCAA’s best marks at 12-3.
Given Davidson's ability to dictate the pace of the ballgame and VCU’s sharpness on defense, this game should go under the total.
Davidson Wildcats
Davidson is not a very efficient rebounding team, at least on the offensive end. The Wildcats only snag boards 23.3% of the time on offense.
VCU has a glaring weakness on the glass, as well. The Rams rank 329th in defensive rebounding and 210th on the offensive side. This will lead to less second chances off of the glass for both teams.
In addition, the Wildcats rank 318th in adjusted tempo, per KenPom. They average about 18 seconds per possession on both offense and defense. Even if their defense has not been very sharp to date, they should be able to control the tempo of this game.
VCU has one of the weakest offenses in the A-10. Davidson allows 35.2% of 3s to fall for its opposition on the year, but VCU only shoots 32.3% from downtown anyways.
Davidson is a tad better inside, only allowing a 49.7% 2-point field goal rate. VCU shoots 48.5% on the season close to the rim.
Essentially, the Davidson shortcomings on the defensive end should not be too apparent, as VCU is that poor of an offensive team.
VCU Rams
Now, Davidson is a sharp-shooting 3-point team. The Wildcats have hit 41.9% of their 3s on the season, but VCU only has allowed opponents to shoot 25% from 3.
Hyunjung Lee, Foster Loyer and Michael Jones are the usual suspects from deep for the Wildcats this season. They are shooting 42.3%, 47.4% and 50%, respectively, on the year.
The Rams have Ace Baldwin Jr., Jayden Nunn, Vince Williams Jr. and KeShawn Curry all to guard these outside shooters for Davidson. They are elite perimeter defenders, so Davidson likely will not be as sharp from outside in this contest.
Since 38.2% of Davidson’s points come from beyond the arc, it will have to look for another option to overcome the VCU defensive attack.
VCU’s offense is abysmal — as stated above — but the Rams' most significant downfall has been taking care of the basketball. They have a turnover rate of 22.4%, which ranks 335th in college basketball.
Luckily for them, Davidson only turns opponents over 18.3% of the time, so this negates some of the usual issues the Rams have.
The Rams are not very tall, but they can defend opponents well inside. They rank 20th in 2-point percentage on defense (44.1%).
Levi Stockard III and Hason Ward should be able to hold down Luka Brajkovic and Sam Mennenga for the Wildcats. Jalen DeLoach is another alternative to guard the Davidson bigs.
Davidson vs. VCU Betting Pick
VCU will not make many offensive improvements in this game, even if Davidson does not guard other opponents well.
The Rams will be able to contain the Davidson outside attack and mitigate issues in the post.
It's hard to envision much of an offensive game, given Davidson’s typical tempo and VCU’s elite defense in its home gym.
Take under 132 and play it to 129. Points will be at a premium in this A-10 battle.
