VCU Rams vs UMass Minutemen Prediction, 2/20/2024 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: VCU Rams vs UMass Minutemen

Date: Tuesday, February 20, 2024

Location: William D. Mullins Memorial Center in Amherst, MA

TV: ESPN+

The UMass Minutemen (16-9) are hosting the VCU Rams (17-8) at William D. Mullins Memorial Center on Tuesday.

The VCU Rams faced Saint Louis and notched a win by a score of 95-85 in their last contest. VCU wrapped up the game having earned a 49.1% field goal percentage (28 of 57) and buried 12 of their 26 shots from distance. From the free throw line, the Rams converted 27 of their 31 tries for a percentage of 87.1%. When discussing getting rebounds, they earned 35 with 12 of them being offensive. They also doled out 13 assists for this contest while forcing the other team into 10 turnovers and earning 5 steals. In terms of defense, VCU allowed 47.4% from the floor on 27 of 57 shooting. Saint Louis doled out 14 assists and had 10 steals for this game. Additionally, Saint Louis snagged 22 rebounds (7 offensive, 15 defensive), but couldn't earn a rejection. Saint Louis finished shooting 76.7% when shooting free throws by knocking down 23 of their 30 attempts. They also buried 8 out of their 23 attempts from three-point range. Concerning personal fouls, the Rams ended up with 21 while Saint Louis had 23 personal fouls.

Joseph Bamisile is a player who was a contributor for this contest. He finished shooting 53.8% from the floor but wasn't able to get an assist. He played for 25 mins and totaled 3 boards. He scored 27 points on 7 of 13 shooting.

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VCU enters this one with a record of 17-8 for the campaign. They have an average of 72.4 points per game (225th in the country) while shooting 44.7% from the field. The Rams are shooting 36.2% on shots from downtown (211 of 583) and 78.6% from the charity stripe. As a unit, VCU is snagging 36.0 boards per game and has racked up 353 assists on the year, which ranks 158th in Division 1 in terms of passing the ball. They lose possession via turnover 12.4 times per contest and as a group are committing 16.6 fouls per contest.

On the defensive end, the Rams are forcing 10.7 turnovers on a nightly basis and they draw 17.6 personal fouls. They give up 29.0% on three-point shots and they are ranked 38th in college basketball in points per game allowed (65.9). The Rams are giving up a FG percentage of 39.8% (564 of 1,418) and they concede 32.6 rebounds per game as a squad. They are 8th in Division 1 in giving up assists with 253 surrendered this year.

When they last stepped on the court, the UMass Minutemen took a loss by a final score of 82-81 when they faced La Salle. The Minutemen were able to pull down 26 defensive rebounds and 8 offensive rebounds totaling 34 for the game. They also coughed up the ball 7 times, while getting 6 steals for the matchup. La Salle earned 19 personal fouls in this game which took the Minutemen to the free throw line for a total of 28 tries. They were able to knock down 23 of the free throws for a percentage of 82.1%. When discussing 3-point shots, UMass knocked down 8 out of 27 attempts (29.6%). When all was said and done, the Minutemen walked away from this one shooting 25 out of 59 from the floor which had them shooting 42.4%. The Minutemen allowed La Salle to make 28 of their 59 tries from the field which left them with a rate of 47.5% for the contest. They shot 42.9% from 3-point land by connecting on 9 of 21 and ended up shooting 17 out of 22 at the charity stripe (77.3%). Regarding cleaning up the glass, UMass allowed La Salle to pull down 35 in total (9 offensive).

Josh Cohen ended up being a factor for the Minutemen for the contest. He converted 6 of 10 in this matchup for a rate of 60.0%, and had 13 rebounds. He recorded 21 points in his 31 minutes of playing time and added 2 assists for this game.

UMass has a mark of 16-9 on the season. The Minutemen are committing 19.2 fouls every game and they go 70.4% from the charity stripe. They are dishing out assists 16.1 times per game (35th in the country) and they are giving up possession 11.1 times per contest. UMass has earned 1,997 pts this season (79.9 per game) and they pull in 38.8 boards per game. As an offense, the Minutemen are shooting 45.7% from the floor, which is 129th in college hoops.

The UMass defense allows 35.0% on 3-pointers (191 of 546) and opponents are knocking down 72.1% of their foul shots. They concede 13.0 dimes and 33.9 boards on a nightly basis, which ranks 205th and 135th in Division 1. The Minutemen on the defensive side of the court are 192nd in college hoops in PPG surrendered with 72.2. They are forcing 13.6 turnovers per game and have let teams shoot 42.2% from the field (101st in college basketball).

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

Tony Sink's Pick: Take UMass

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