College Basketball: Dayton at VCU Prediction, Odds, And How To Watch

VCU will attempt to win the outright championship of the Atlantic 10 when the Rams play host to Dayton on Friday.

Tuesday’s 71-62 win at Duquesne clinched at least a share of the Atlantic 10 title for the Rams, who increased their winning streak to nine games. VCU (25-5, 15-2) would earn the outright title with a win over Dayton or a loss by George Mason (14-3) in its regular-season finale against Richmond on Saturday.

In the win over Duquesne, graduate guard Max Shulga scored a game-high 22 points. He hit 5 of 9 from the field, including 3 of 5 from three-point range, while converting 9 of 11 free throws. Graduate guard Zeb Jackson came off the bench to score 16 points, hitting 3 of 6 from deep.

Dayton (21-9, 11-6) has had a disappointing season after having the best odds to win the Atlantic 10 regular season title via BetMGM.

Entering Thursday, the Flyers had a NET Ranking of 69, according to the NCAA stats. VCU was the top Atlantic 10 team with a NET Ranking of 29. While VCU would likely still earn an NCAA bid even if the Rams don’t win the Atlantic 10 tournament, Dayton may have to win it to assure a berth.

Dayton has won three in a row following Tuesday’s 75-67 home win over St. Louis. In that game, Dayton trailed by as many as 15 points in the first half and were down by 13 at halftime. Senior guard Enoch Cheeks had 17 points, nine rebounds, and two steals to lead the Flyers.

VCU won the first meeting this season at Dayton, 73-68 on Feb. 7.

Dayton at VCU Odds

VCU is a 9.5-point college basketball betting odds favorite on BetMGM with the Over/Under at 142.5 points.

The moneyline for VCU is -450 while it is +350 for Dayton.

Dayton at VCU On TV

The game between Dayton and VCU will be on ESPN2.

Tipoff is expected shortly after 7 p.m. ET.

Dayton at VCU Prediction

I like Dayton covering the points. While it may be difficult to win at VCU, that is a lot of points for a Dayton team that is desperate to make a statement.

It’s easy to see why VCU is in first place. The Rams are second in the conference in scoring (78.0 PPG) and first in scoring defense (62.2 PPG), which was 10th nationally entering Wednesday.

Dayton averages 75.3 points and allows 69.8 PPG.

VCU’s scoring margin of 15.8 points leads the Atlantic 10, while Dayton’s is 5.5, which is fifth in the conference.

Both teams like to play an up-tempo game. VCU averages 12.5 fast break points per game while the Flyers average 12.37. In the first meeting, Dayton had 15 fast break points, while VCU scored 11.

VCU is 15-0 at home, and Dayton is 4-4 on the road.

Both are close from beyond the arc, with the Flyers shooting .356 and VCU .345. The Rams are second in the Atlantic 10 in three-point percentage defense, holding teams to .303, while Dayton is at .330.

The teams are also close in free throw percentage with the Flyers at .744 and VCU at .741.