The VCU Rams take on the Dayton Flyers in Dayton, Ohio. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. ET on ESPN2.
VCU is favored by 2 points on the spread with a moneyline of -135. The total is set at 139.5 points.
Here are my VCU vs. Dayton predictions and college basketball picks for February 7, 2025.
VCU vs Dayton Prediction
My Pick: VCU -3 or Better
My VCU vs Dayton best bet is on the Rams spread, with the best odds currently available at BetRivers. For all of your college basketball bets, be sure to find the best lines by using our live NCAAB odds page.
VCU vs Dayton Odds
| VCU Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-2 -110 | 139.5 -110 / -110 | -135 |
| Dayton Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+2 -110 | 139.5 -110 / -110 | +114 |
- VCU vs Dayton spread: VCU -2
- VCU vs Dayton over/under: 139.5 points
- VCU vs Dayton moneyline: VCU -135, Dayton +114
- VCU vs Dayton best bet: VCU -3 or Better
Spread
I'm backing the Rams to cover the spread.
Moneyline
I'm passing on the moneyline.
Over/Under
I'm passing on the total.
My Pick: VCU -3 or Better
VCU vs Dayton College Basketball Betting Preview
Ryan Odom is a tremendous coach, and VCU keeps winning. The Rams are 8-2 in A-10 play behind a press-heavy defense that leads the league in defensive turnover rate (22%, per KenPom).
Meanwhile, Dayton has recovered from a mid-season swoon, crawling back with five wins in the past six games. Unfortunately, the Flyers’ resume isn't quite NCAA Tournament at-large worthy, and a home win over VCU would only count as a Quad 2 victory.
The Flyers have a rock-solid press offense (1.02 PPP, 84th percentile, per Synergy) thanks to Malachi Smith’s wizardry at point guard.
Dayton hosted Saint Joe’s press-happy defense a few weeks ago, scoring 27 points on 27 press possessions (1.00 PPP, per Synergy) in a 77-72 win. Smith sliced and diced for eight assists, and the offense recorded only eight turnovers (12%, per KenPom).
The bigger question is whether Dayton can run its downhill pick-and-roll offense against VCU’s stellar ball-screen coverage and dominant rim protection. The Flyers live on ball-screen sets toward the rim, but the Rams are elite defending pick-and-rolls and at the rim.
On the other end of the court, the Flyers are also a press-happy defense, and VCU has struggled at times in press offense (.89 PPP, 54th percentile, per Synergy).
But if the Rams break the press, they have an excellent shot of beating Dayton over the top. VCU is an excellent spacing-and-shooting squad, while Dayton allows plenty of quality 3s (68% Open 3 Rate allowed, 13th in A-10, per ShotQuality) at a high volume (46% 3-point rate allowed, 13th in the A-10, per KenPom).
Schematically, I like the Rams here. They’ll have to hit their 3s in UD Arena, but they did at the end of last year’s regular season, canning 18-of-42 (43%) in a brutal five-point overtime loss. Can you say revenge factor?
