It’s an important game in the Atlantic 10 Conference between two NCAA Tournament hopefuls as second-place VCU visits fourth-place Dayton with the Rams as short road favorites on the NCAA basketball lines.

Should they be favored?

How to Bet VCU vs Dayton Odds & TV Info

NCAA basketball lines: Dayton +105 / VCU -128
When: Friday, 7 PM ET
Where: UD Arena
TV: ESPN2
Stream: ESPN+

VCU Basketball Insights

Last Game Review

VCU (18-5, 8-2 A-10) won its second game in a row on Tuesday, trashing a decent La Salle team 99-66. The Rams took the lead with 11:02 left in the first half and never looked back. The score was 48-28 at halftime, with Joe Bamisile racking up 12 points. VCU extended its lead to 77-38 during the second half, fueled by a 19-0 scoring run.

Joe Bamisile

Bamisile scored a game-high 17 points on 7-of-14 shooting from the field for VCU. Bamisile also accounted for four rebounds in his 20 minutes of action. Christian Fermin tied a career high with five blocks, all in the first half. He also accounted for seven points and a team-best eight rebounds. Jack Clark stuffed the stat sheet with six points, five rebounds and five assists in his first game against his former team. Clark was a member of the Explorers from 2018-22.

Terence Hill

Freshman Hill poured in 13 points on 5-of-7 shooting from the field and a 3-for-5 performance from beyond the arc for the Black and Gold. Hill’s 13 points are his second most this season. The Rams out rebounded La Salle 45-24, including 19-8 on the offensive glass. VCU owned a 17-8 advantage in second-chance points.

VCU has knocked down 31-of-63 (49 percent) from 3-point range in its past two games. It is averaging 9.7 three-pointers per game this season, the highest mark in school history. The Rams receive 37.1 percent of their scoring from beyond the arc, which ranks 57th nationally.

The Turnovers

The Rams have turned the ball over just 33 times in its past four games combined. VCU has forced 15 or more turnovers in a game 13 times this year. Freshman Luke Bamgboye’s 48 blocks are tied for the most by a Rams freshman since Larry Sanders’ 95 in 2007-08. VCU’s rebounding margin of +4.7 is its highest since the 1995-96 season, when the Rams were +8.2. It ranks 30th nationally in offensive rebounding percentage at 35.5 percent. In 10 A-10 games, VCU has rebounded a whopping 39.6 percent of its misses.

The Defense

The Rams rank 24th nationally in defensive efficiency and are 13th in effective field goal defense (.452), including 15th in 2-point field goal defense (.447). They ninth nationally in blocks per game (5.5) and block percentage (15.6). Bamgboye is averaging 5.4 blocks per 40 minutes. The Rams are turning opponents over on 21.8 percent of possessions, the 20th-best rate in the country. VCU leads the A-10 and ranks 22nd nationally in turnover margin (+3.6).

Top Scorers

Four Rams are currently averaging nearly 11.0 points per game or more: Bamisile (16.2), Max Shulga (15.3), Phillip Russell (11.7) and Zeb Jackson (10.1). No VCU team has boasted four players averaging 11.0 or more points per game in a season since the 1993-94 campaign (See the NCAA basketball lines to consider this advantage).

Ryan Odom

Coach Odom has done such a good job at VCU that he might be hired away this offseason – perhaps at the University of Virginia. Odom’s system gets more shots in transition, creates more scoring opportunities with pressure defense and offensive rebounding, puts an emphasis on getting the ball into the paint to create scoring opportunities at the rim and for shooters on the 3-point line on kick outs. His defensive emphasis on ball pressure leads to a lot of turnovers. When VCU gives up fewer than 74.6 points, it is 14-5 against the spread and 18-2 overall.

Dayton Basketball Insights

Last Game Review

Dayton (16-7, 6-4 A-10) also enters on a two-game winning streak after a 69-63 home win over Davidson on Tuesday. The Flyers placed five in double figures, finished 21-of-24 at the line, and closed with a 10-2 run over the last 48 seconds. Trailing 42-32, Davidson slowly chipped away and eventually went in front, 61-59, on a driving layup by Connor Kochera with 51 ticks left. On the ensuing trip down the floor, Davidson was whistled for a technical foul, resulting in Javon Bennett making two free throws, followed by a 3-point play, putting Dayton ahead for good.

Top Scorers

Bennett, freshman Amaël L’Etang, and senior Nate Santos tied with a team-high of 13 points. L’Etang posted a career-high 13 rebounds, while Posh Alexander contributed five assists. Dayton won despite shooting 23.1% (6 of 26) from 3-point range. That number ended a streak of six straight games in which it shot 33% or better. Davidson shot even worse: 20.8% (5 of 24), its second-worst percentage of the season. The Flyers won the game in part because it had an 11-point edge at the foul line (and could be a great chance to look at the NCAA basketball lines).

Anthony Grant

“We felt very fortunate to get the win today,” Coach Grant said. “A great lesson for all the young players out there at the end of the game,” Grant said. “Just composure. Composure.”

Posh Alexander

Alexander got a rare start because guard Malachi Smith was out with an illness but likely returns Friday as it was his first missed game of the season. The 6-foot junior is averaging 10.1 points, 2.7 rebounds and 5.7 assists. Smith is second in the A-10 in assists (5.7) and is third in assist-to-turnover ratio (2.7). Nationally, he is tied for 31st in assists per game.

Enoch Cheeks

Guard Cheeks was named A-10 Preseason All-Defensive Team and is 15th in the A-10 in rebounding (6.1), tied for fourth in steals (1.9), and 17th in 3-pt. FG% (.382, 42-110). Of the top 15 A-10 rebounders, Cheeks is the shortest at 6-foot-3. Santos is fifth in the Atlantic 10 in 3-pt. FG% (.432, 51-118). Zed Key is eighth in FG% (.573, 63-110). He is tied for 22nd in D-I for most dunks (36).

Conference Leader

As a team, Dayton leads the Atlantic 10 in 3-pt. FG% (.359, 184-513), is second in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.55) and is third in FG% (.466, 593-1276). The Flyers are tied for 78th in Division I in 3-pt. FG. When Dayton totals more than 62.7 points, it is 11-7 against the spread and 16-3 overall. The Flyers are 13-1 in home games. Dayton is eighth in the A-10 in team defense, allowing 68.9 points while holding opponents to 43.7% shooting.

Flyers coach Grant led VCU to a 75-27 record and two NCAA Tournament appearances from 2006-09. VCU is a conference-best 155-63 (.711) in A-10 contests since joining the league in 2012-13.

VCU vs Dayton Series History

This is the first of two scheduled meetings with Dayton at VCU to close the regular season. Last year, they split two close games, with each winning at home. The Flyers prevailed 91-86 in OT. Kobe Elvis hit back-to-back 3-pointers and a pair of free throws in the last 1:09 of overtime to lift Dayton. Max Shulga hit a 3-pointer to get VCU within two points with 4 seconds left in OT, but Enoch Cheeks and DaRon Holmes II hit foul shots to seal it for Dayton. Elvis scored 10 of his 15 points in overtime as the Flyers fought back from a 17-point first-half deficit to tie the game at 70 in the last 2 1/2 minutes of regulation. VCU leads all-time 18-10.

🚨 Mid-Major Bubble Watch 🚨

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