The Dayton Flyers and VCU Rams both enter Friday ranked third and fourth in the Atlantic 10 Conference standings, respectively, and will face each other in Dayton looking to both improve their resumes and build momentum going into next week’s conference tournament.
VCU Rams vs. Dayton Flyers (-7.5, 138)
When these teams matched up earlier in the season on Feb. 9, the game was one of the lowest-scoring games of the entire college basketball season with VCU picking up a 49-47 win. While the scoring should pick up from the first game, we could be in for another defensive battle on Tuesday.
Neither team plays an uptempo style with Dayton ranked 348th in total possessions per game and VCU ranked 293rd, with its possessions per game number dropping to 312th in road games.
In the first clash between these teams, Dayton shot just 4-of-17 from 3-point range and should improve upon that number considering the team ranks fourth in the nation in 3-point shooting percentage at 40.2%.
The Rams, however, rank 17th in opponent 3-point shooting percentage, which drops to 28.5% in road games, which ranks fifth in the nation. The significance of their 3-point shooting defense is even higher with the Flyers taking 46.4% of their field goal attempts at home from 3-point range, the 22nd-highest 3-point shooting rate in the nation.
Overall, VCU ranks 60th in points allowed on a per-possession basis while Dayton ranks 95th in this category. Dayton is also a good defense along the perimeter, ranking 27th in opponent 3-point shooting percentage. VCU takes 43.8% of its field goal attempts from 3-point range in road games, which ranks 36th in highest percentage of shots coming from 3-point range.
Friday’s game does not set up for a lot of second-chance scoring opportunities on either side either with VCU grabbing only 22.9% of its missed shots as an offensive rebound in road games, good for 278th in the nation. Dayton ranks 263rd in home offensive rebound rate.
With both teams dominant in the way they guard the 3-point arc and the reliance on their 3-pointers to score, Friday’s game sets up for another rock fight.
The Play: VCU vs. Dayton Under 138
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