UMass Minutemen vs VCU Rams Prediction, 1/17/2023 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: UMass Minutemen vs VCU Rams

Date: Tuesday, January 17, 2023

Location: Stuart C. Siegel Center in Richmond, VA

TV: Youtube TV

Stuart C. Siegel Center is where the VCU Rams (13-5) will try to beat the UMass Minutemen (11-6) on Tuesday.

The UMass Minutemen took the court against Rhode Island and went home with a win by a final score of 75-65 in their last game. UMass finished with a 36.5% field goal percentage (23 of 63) and converted 6 of 18 3-pointers. From the free throw line, the Minutemen knocked down 23 of 30 attempts for a rate of 76.7%. With regard to pulling down boards, they collected a total of 45 with 14 of them being offensive. They also recorded 11 dimes in this matchup while forcing 15 turnovers and having 7 steals. In reference to defense, UMass allowed the other team to shoot 37.3% from the field on 22 of 59 shooting. Rhode Island doled out 12 assists and had 4 steals for this contest. On top of that, Rhode Island pulled down 30 rebounds (7 offensive, 23 defensive), but couldn't earn a rejection. Rhode Island shot 73.9% from the charity stripe by knocking down 17 of their 23 attempts. They also converted 4 out of their 19 tries from distance. When discussing personal fouls, the Minutemen ended up with 19 while Rhode Island accumulated 22 personal fouls.

Matt Cross is a guy who came through for the contest. He ended up going 40.0% from the field and distributed 1 assist. He was on the hardwood for 33 minutes played and grabbed 7 rebounds. He ended up scoring 22 points on 4 of 10 shooting.

Get all of our NCAA Basketball Picks

UMass enters this matchup with a win-loss record of 11-6 for the campaign. They are giving up possession 14.2 times per game and as a team they commit 17.3 fouls every game. As a team, UMass is grabbing 38.8 boards per contest and has accounted for 248 assists for the campaign, which ranks 154th in college hoops in terms of passing the ball. The Minutemen are hitting 35.1% on shots from 3-point land (106 of 302) and 68.7% from the free throw line. They are averaging 71.7 points per game (180th in D-1) while going 42.2% from the floor.

On the defensive end, the Minutemen have forced 14.6 turnovers every game and they draw 19.4 fouls. They give up 31.0% from beyond the arc and they are 180th in college basketball in points per game allowed (69.2). The Minutemen defense is giving up and opponent field goal percentage of 42.8% (420 of 981) and they concede 35.0 boards per game as a basketball team. They currently rank 252nd in D-1 in giving up assists with 243 surrendered this year.

When they last stepped on the court, the VCU Rams got the victory with a final of 63-62 against Dayton. When it comes to rebounding, VCU allowed Dayton to grab 33 in all (8 offensive). They finished the game shooting 30.0% from 3-point land by hitting 3 out of 10 and finished the game at 11 out of 17 at the charity stripe (64.7%). The Rams permitted Dayton to make 24 out of 48 attempts from the floor which gave them a rate of 50.0% for the game. When the final whistle was blown, the Rams shot 27 for 60 from the floor which had them sitting at 45.0%. In regard to shooting from 3-point land, VCU made 6 of their 15 tries (40.0%). They were able to knock down 3 of the free throw attempts for a rate of 37.5%. Dayton committed 13 fouls in this matchup which got the Rams to the free throw line for a total of 8 shots. They also coughed up the ball 13 times, while getting 10 steals in this game. The Rams were able to corral 19 defensive boards and 8 offensive rebounds for a total of 27 in the game.

David Shriver ended up having an impact for the Rams in this matchup. He made 6 out of 8 in the matchup giving him a field goal percentage of 75.0%, and had 2 rebounds. He racked up 18 points in his 23 minutes on the hardwood, but wrapped up this contest with no dimes.

VCU has a record of 13-5 this year. The Rams are committing 16.1 personal fouls per contest and they connect on 70.3% from the charity stripe. Their rate of earning assists is at 12.2 times per game (270th in college basketball) and they lose possession via turnover 15.2 times per contest. VCU has scored 1,272 points on the campaign (70.7 per contest) and they pull in 31.5 boards per contest. When it comes to offensive execution, the Rams are connecting on 45.4% from the field, which ranks 137th in the nation.

The VCU defense allows 33.7% on shots from beyond the arc (105 of 312) and opponents are connecting on 70.9% of their shots from the charity stripe. They have allowed 11.4 assists and 33.6 boards per game, which is 95th and 148th in Division 1. The Rams on the defensive side of the court are 66th in college basketball in points given up per game with 64.7. They are forcing their opponents into 17.9 TO's per game and have allowed teams to shoot 43.0% from the floor (179th in the nation).

Who will win tonight's NCAA basketball game against the spread?

Tony Sink's Pick: Take UMass

Get $60 worth of FREE premium member picks. No Obligation. No Salesman. No Credit Card. Fast Sign up with Instant Access Click Here