Atlantic 10 foes will collide when the VCU Rams (13-5) face the Duquesne Dukes (12-6) at Stuart Siegel Center. Action begins at 7:00 pm ET on Wednesday, Jan. 20.
The Rams enter this game hoping for similar success after topping Richmond 94-89 on Saturday. JeQuan Lewis was the game’s leading scorer with 29 points on 9-for-14 shooting. The Dukes, meanwhile, are coming off a 95-88 win against St. Bonaventure on Saturday. Micah Mason was the game’s top scorer, registering 27 points on 7-for-14 shooting.
This one isn’t expected to be close when VCU, a substantial 12-point favorite, takes on Duquesne. The matchup has an estimated Over/Under (O/U) of 150 points. The Rams have gone 13-5 Straight Up (SU) and 10-3 Against The Spread (ATS). Over their last 10 games, they have had success covering the spread (6-2). Opponents have consistently had the ball stolen by the Rams, who rank fourth in the country in steals per game with 10.2.
Over on the other bench, the Dukes have 12-6 SU and 6-5 ATS records. The Dukes have controlled the glass with an average of 40.3 rebounds per game, 39th in the country.
The conference foes will be squaring off for the first time this season. In their most recent meeting a season ago, Duquesne came out on top, bumping its SU record to 3-0 over the Dukes. The Dukes lead the matchup ATS with a record of 2-1.
Predictions: SU Winner – VCU, ATS Winner – Duq, O/U – Over
Notes
Virginia Commonwealth is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games.
The VCU Rams currently hold a perfect 5-0 record against the Atlantic 10 Conference, and the Duquesne Dukes sit at 2-3 in conference games.
Duquesne scores just 70.0 points per away game (ranked 169th). VCU ranks 64th in points allowed at home, giving up 62.7 points.
The Duquesne Dukes average 73.3 possessions per game and 1.079 points per possession. The VCU Rams earn fewer possessions with 70.5, but they score more points with 1.090.
The Duquesne Dukes average an effective field goal percentage of 53.5% this season. The VCU Rams have a winning 5-2 record in games where opponents have an eFG% of 53.5% or greater.
The VCU Rams average 20.0 three point attempts per game, and the Duquesne Dukes attempt 24.0 per game. When going for at least 20 three pointers in a game this season, both teams have winning records; VCU is 8-1 and Duquesne is 11-5.
VCU ranks 65th in the nation with an assist-to-turnover ratio of 1.25. Duquesne is ranked lower at 126th with an A/TO of 1.14.
Duquesne is one of the top defensive rebounding teams, ranking ninth. VCU ranks 54th in offensive rebounding.
On average, VCU forces a turnover rate of 24.9%, ranked fifth in the nation. When Duquesne turns over the ball at a similar or higher rate, the team has a winning 3-1 record.
