VCU, with the second-longest current win streak in the Atlantic 10, looks for its seventh consecutive victory when the Rams host Dayton on Friday.
On Tuesday, VCU (17-6, 8-2) earned a 63-59 win at Fordham. Lazar Djokovic, a 6-foot-11 junior, scored a team-high 17 points for the Rams.
Dayton (15-8, 6-4) bounced back from a 102-71 loss to St. Louis to win 72-70 at home over St. Bonaventure on Tuesday in its most recent outing. That snapped a four-game losing streak. Jordan Derkack, a 6-foot-5 senior transfer from Rutgers, scored a season-high 18 points and hit two free throws with 2 seconds on the clock for the winning margin. Javon Bennett, a 5-foot-10 senior, scored 20 points for the Flyers.
At 8-2, VCU is tied with George Mason for second place in the Atlantic 10, with both trailing St. Louis (10-0). The Rams play both teams once more, facing St. Louis on the road and hosting George Mason.
VCU’s final game in the regular season is at Dayton on March 6.
Dayton at VCU Odds
As of this writing, VCU is a 7.5-point college basketball betting favorite on BetMGM.
The Over/Under is 149.5.
Dayton at VCU On TV
Tipoff for Dayton at VCU will start shortly after 7 p.m. ET.
The game will be televised by ESPN2.
Dayton at VCU Prediction
I like VCU to cover. The Rams are on a roll, and both their three-point shooting and three-point defense could be a major factor.
Dayton is 13th in the Atlantic 10 in three-point field goal defense, allowing teams to shoot .360 from beyond the arc. VCU shoots .366 from deep, which is fourth in the conference. Meanwhile, the Rams are ninth in three-point defense, allowing teams to shoot .343, while Dayton is ninth in three-point field goal percentage (.326).
Dayton is also last in the conference in rebounding, averaging 32.3 per game. VCU averages 36.4 rebounds per game, which is sixth in the conference.
Both teams are solid from the free-throw line, with Dayton at .760 and VCU at .740. VCU averages 26.2 foul shots per game, while Dayton averages 25.8.
VCU averages 83.3 points and allows 72.9 points per game. The 10.4 scoring margin is third in the Atlantic 10. Dayton averages 76.2 points and allows 70.7 for a 5.5 scoring margin.
Dayton is 3-4 on the road, while VCU is 11-2 at home. Since losing 71-62 to St. Louis on Jan. 7, VCU has won three straight at home.
Bennett is averaging a team-high 16.1 points for Dayton. While he is shooting just .321 from three-point range, Bennett is second in the Atlantic 10 in free-throw percentage (.904). Teammate De’Shayne Montgomery, a 6-foot-4 junior, averages 15.0 while shooting .371 from deep and .841 from the foul line.
Terrence Hill Jr., a 6-foot-3 sophomore who has started just one game, is averaging a team-high 14.5 points for VCU. He is shooting .399 from three-point range and .876 from the foul line. Djokovic is the other double-figure scorer for the Rams, averaging 13.5 points.
