The college hoops betting action continues with another frenzy Saturday, so we are taking a closer look at the Atlantic 10 Conference showdown from Robins Center in Richmond, Virginia, to get you the best VCU vs. Richmond betting pick along with the latest odds update on BetOnline Sportsbook.

The Rams face off against the Spiders for the first time this season. VCU has won four of its last five dates with Richmond, but the Spiders have gone 2-1 straight up and 3-0 ATS in their previous three home games against the Rams.

VCU upset Davidson for its second straight W 

The VCU Rams (12-6; 12-6 ATS) are coming off a 70-68 victory at the Davidson Wildcats this past Wednesday. They nearly blew a 14-point second-half lead, while sophomore forward Mikeal Brown-Jones sealed the win with a huge block on Luka Brajkovic in the Wildcats’ final possession.

The Rams improved to 5-2 in the conference play thanks to another strong defensive performance. They struggled to cope with Brajkovic, who finished with 23 points on a 9-for-15 shooting from the field, but the Rams also held the Wildcats to 21.4% shooting from deep. Furthermore, the Rams forced 15 turnovers, committing only seven in a return.

VCU boasts the second-best defensive rating in the country, yielding 86.1 points per 100 possessions. The Rams’ D ranks 13th in field goal percentage (38.0%) and 3rd in 3-point percentage (26.1%). VCU is No. 60 in the NCAA NET Rankings and No. 71 in the KenPom rankings.

Richmond beat Rhode Island to sweep a three-game road trip  

The Richmond Spiders (13-7; 10-10 ATS) are rolling on a three-game winning streak following a 70-63 victory at the Rhode Island Rams this past Tuesday. They finished a three-game road trip in style, overcoming a 15-point deficit to cover a 2.5-point spread.

The Spiders played some lovely staff down the stretch, allowing the Rams to score one point in the final six minutes. Richmond managed to win by seven points despite shooting only 35.9% from the field and 24.1% from beyond the arc. Senior forward Grant Golden led the way for the Spiders with 15 points and nine rebounds, while junior F Tyler Burton posted a 14-point, 15-rebound double-double.

Richmond improved to 4-3 in the conference play. The Spiders rank 71st in the country in offensive efficiency (108.6 points per 100 possessions) and 117th in defensive efficiency (100.0). They are No. 90 in both the NCAA NET Rankings and KenPom rankings.

Trends:

VCU:

  • 8-2 ATS in the last ten games overall 
  • 5-1 ATS in the last six games on the road   

Richmond:

  • 1-5 ATS in the last six games at home

VCU vs. Richmond Pick

The Rams lack height, but they love to play aggressive defense, so you never know with this VCU team. They score only 97.5 points per 100 possessions (270th in the country). Also, the Rams rank 338th in the nation in free-throw percentage (65.0%), but their defense has been outstanding so far this season.

On the other side, the Spiders are not a great defensive team. They rank 274th in the nation in the opponent FG% (44.5) and 303rd in the opponent 3P% (35.7). Hereof, we should see a tight clash, and I lean the Rams only because of their stout D. If you like to take the risk, go with any team to win by five or fewer points.

Pick: Take VCU                     

The Total:

Neither of these two teams prefers to play at a fast pace. The Rams register 67.2 possessions per 40 minutes (171st in the country), while the Spiders tally 67.8 (141st). Richmond will look for some chances in transition against this VCU defense, but if the Rams manage to control the defensive glass, we’ll see a low-scoring affair.

The total has gone under in three of the last four meetings between VCU and Richmond. The under is 3-1 in VCU’s last four games as well, while the over is 4-2 in Richmond’s previous six contests overall.

Pick: Go under