The Richmond Spiders (11-19, 9-9 A10) go head-to-head with the Duquesne Dukes (16-15, 7-11 A10) in the Atlantic 10 Conference Tourney at Capital One Arena. The game can be seen on NBC Sports Network at 6 p.m. ET on Thursday, March 8, 2018.
The game’s Over/Under (O/U) has been set at 144 points with Richmond opening as a 2-point favorite.
Duquesne Dukes vs. Richmond Spiders Betting Prediction
In the Dukes’ last outing, they were beaten by the Massachusetts Minutemen, 85-75. Massachusetts’ 0.218 free throw rate was their biggest strength over Duquesne, who had a mark of 0.098. The Minutemen’s mark was above their season average of 0.178, while the Dukes’ was below their season average of 0.246. Duquesne’s Eric Williams Jr. had a good performance, contributing eight points and 11 rebounds.
The Spiders defeated the George Mason Patriots in their last game, 93-79. Richmond had an effective field goal percentage of 0.712 (above their season average of 0.510). George Mason, meanwhile, did a fantastic job of converting from the free throw line (16-18; 88.9 percent). Nick Sherod was the game’s high scorer with 25 points on 9-for-16 shooting.
Duquesne could struggle to create turnovers. Richmond ranks 58th in the nation at avoiding errors (turnover percentage of 16.9 percent), while Duquesne forces the 189th-most turnovers (18.7 percent).
Duquesne comes into the game with records of 16-15 straight up (SU) and 13-10 against the spread (ATS). Games including the Dukes have a slight tendency to finish over the total (52.2 percent).
Meanwhile, Richmond is 11-19 SU and 13-15 ATS. Games featuring the Spiders have a tendency to go over the total (71.4 percent).
This will be the second game of the season between these two teams. Sherod scored a game-high 28 points in the first matchup, in which the Spiders, who were 4-point underdogs, defeated the Dukes 77-73. He also recorded six rebounds. The game finished with a total of 150 points, which was 13 points above the projected point total of 137 points. The Spiders made 16 of their 22 free throws (72.7 percent) and had a much better effective field goal percentage (0.535 vs. 0.434).
Duquesne Dukes vs. Richmond Spiders Free Pick
Prediction: SU Winner – Richmond, ATS Winner – Richmond, O/U – Over
Notes
Betting Notes:
Duquesne ranks 106th in rebounds per game (36.3) while Richmond ranks 286th (30.3).
The Spiders rank 65th in assists per game (15.3) while the Dukes rank 234th (12.0).
Duquesne ranks 34th in blocks per game (4.5) while Richmond ranks 197th (2.5).
The Spiders rank 28th in steals per game (7.7) while the Dukes rank 169th (5.7).
Duquesne is 16th in the nation with 17.8 three-pointers allowed per game while Richmond is 53rd with 19.7 three-pointers allowed per game.
Bettings Trends:
In their last five games, Duquesne is 3-2 ATS with 3 overs and 2 unders.
Richmond is 2-3 ATS with 4 overs and 1 under over their last five games.
The Dukes have been outscored by an average of 5.4 points in their last five games. For the season, Duquesne has defeated opponents by an average of 2.7 points.
During their last five games, the Spiders have scored an average of 79.2 points per game (7.9 above their season average) and allowed an average of 78.2 points per game (2.6 above their season average).
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