The VCU Rams (19-11, 11-6 A-10) take on a top-25 team in the Dayton Flyers (23-6, 13-4 A-10) on Friday night. These are the final days of the regular season schedule. This is a great opportunity for each team to pick up a quality win and possibly improve their seed in the conference tournament. The Flyers will be out for revenge after the Rams took their first meeting.
That meeting was a low-scoring rock fight of a game. Each team shot below 40% from the field and below 25% from three in a 49-47 victory for the Rams.
Will this game play out the same way, or will we see more scoring in the second meeting?
VCU vs. Dayton Betting Odds
| Team | Spread | Total | MoneyLine |
| VCU | +8
-112 |
O 138
-105 |
+285 |
| Dayton | -8
-108 |
U 138
-115 |
-360 |
| **Odds Courtesy of DraftKings** | |||
VCU vs. Dayton Game Details
- Fixture: VCU @ Dayton
- Date and Time: March 8, 2024 @ 6:00 pm EST
- Location: UD Arena in Dayton, OH
Apex Tale of the Tape
|
VCU |
vs. |
Dayton |
| 19-11 | Record | 23-6 |
| 71.9 | Points Per Game | 74.8 |
| 44.3 | FG% | 48.0 |
| 36.2 | 3PT% | 40.2 |
| 35.7 | Rebounds Per Game | 33.9 |
| 66.8 | Points Allowed Per Game | 65.7 |
| 40.5 | Defensive FG% | 41.4 |
| 30.5 | Defensive 3PT% | 31.0 |
| 74.2 | Defensive FT% | 73.3 |
| 32.7 | Defensive Rebounds Per Game | 32.4 |
| 2-3 | Last 5 W-L | 3-2 |
Key Stats
VCU Rams
The Rams boast one of the best defenses in the nation. They shut down the Flyers in their last meeting and have consistently made it difficult for opponents to score. It hasn’t been smooth sailing in the past ten games. They are a mediocre 6-4 and will need to bank a few more quality wins ahead of the tournament. Joe Bamisile has been leading the way the past ten games, averaging 14.4 points per game during that span.
The team is looking to hold off UMass and stay in fourth in the conference standings. A win against the Flyers would help them secure it.
Dayton Flyers
Dayton is undefeated at home this season, having gone 14-0. The Flyers record isn’t a fluke, as they have beat many teams with winning records. They are 20-6 against teams above .500. In the last five games, their offense has been humming, averaging almost 80 points a game.
It will be a tall task to continue that against a VCU team that is the best defensive team in the Atlantic 10. Look for Koby Brea to have a better game in this matchup. He is shooting 49.4% from three on the season but went 2-6 in the loss earlier in the season.
Game Prediction
I don’t see Dayton having a repeat performance from the previous matchup. While the defense of VCU is formidable, the Flyers are at home this time. They are too good at shooting to be kept in check for too long. In the props world, I like Koby Brea to get more shots this time around.
While the Flyers should score over 50 in this matchup, I still think the Rams keep it close. They have the best defense in the conference and will look to slow the game down to limit possessions. The Flyers keep their home winning streak alive but the Rams keep it close enough to cover the spread.
Final Pick
VCU Rams +8 and Under 138
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Matt has been following sports since he was a kid. While football is his primary focus, Matt can talk about any sport anytime. He is a banker in Wisconsin and hosts two podcasts, Beers and Ears & Discontinued on Display.
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