The No.2-seeded Oklahoma Sooners (26-7) play the No.10-seeded VCU Rams (25-10) in the second round of the NCAA tournament at Chesapeake Energy Arena. The game starts at 5:15 pm ET on Sunday, Mar. 20 and can be seen on CBS.
The Sooners were victorious over Cal State Bakersfield 82-68 in the First Round. Buddy Hield was the game’s leading scorer with 27 points on 8-for-14 shooting. The Rams, meanwhile, are coming off a 75-67 win over Oregon State in the First Round. Mo Alie-Cox played well for VCU, accounting for 20 points, eight rebounds, and three blocks.
Baskets could be hard to come by as Oklahoma ranks 16th in the nation, allowing just 98.5 points per 100 possessions, while VCU is ninth (97.1). Also, the Rams commit the 13th-fewest errors in the nation (TO% of 16.4%), while the gambling defense of the Sooners causes the 33rd-most (opponents’ TO% of 17.9%).
Despite a 26-7 Straight Up (SU) record, the Sooners have not fared well Against The Spread (ATS) with a 12-19 record. Over their last 10 games, they have had success covering the spread (7-3). Oklahoma’s defense can be considered one of the best in the country. The Sooners allow a .406 opponent field-goal percentage, one of the lowest shooting rates in the country.
On the other side, the Rams have a record of 21-11 ATS and 25-10 SU. VCU has been particularly bad ATS over its past 10 matchups, going 2-8.
Following the Rams’ latest win over the Sooners, they are even SU as well (1-1).
Predictions: SU Winner – VCU, ATS Winner – VCU
Notes
Ranked 16th, the Oklahoma Sooners have one of the top defenses in the country, giving up just 98.5 points per 100 possessions. The VCU Rams rank 80th in offense, scoring 110.2 points in the same number of possessions.
The Oklahoma Sooners average a field goal percentage of 46.0% this season. The VCU Rams have a solid 8-5 record in games where opponents have a FG% of 46.0% or greater.
The Oklahoma Sooners rank lower for their field goal percentage (71st) than they do for their effective field goal percentage (23rd), but the VCU Rams have a better FG% ranking (123rd) than eFG% ranking (144th).
Oklahoma ranks 93rd in assists, registering 14.5 per game. VCU performs worse at 109th with 14.3 assists per game.
The Oklahoma Sooners average 5.3 blocks per game, the 19th-ranked team in the country. The VCU Rams rank a lowly 119th in blocking with just 3.8 per game.
Oklahoma ranks 26th in defensive rebounding. When it comes to offensive rebounds, VCU ranks 61st.
On average, VCU forces a turnover rate of 21.7%, ranked third in the nation. When Oklahoma turns over the ball at a similar or higher rate, the team has an outstanding 9-1 record.
