VCU Rams vs Villanova Wildcats Prediction, 3/20/2024 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: VCU Rams vs Villanova Wildcats

Date: Wednesday, March 20, 2024

Location: Finneran Pavilion in Villanova, PA

TV: ESPN2

The VCU Rams (22-13) are hitting the road to Finneran Pavilion on Wednesday where they will attempt to defeat the Villanova Wildcats (18-15) in the NIT.

The VCU Rams faced off with Duquesne and ended up losing by a score of 57-51 in their last game. VCU ended the contest with a 36.2% field goal percentage (17 out of 47) and made 5 of their 24 3-point shots. When they shot from the free throw line, the Rams made 12 of their 14 attempts for a percentage of 85.7%. When it comes to grabbing boards, they collected 30 with 6 of them being on the offensive end. They also recorded 9 dimes for the matchup while forcing 10 turnovers and getting 10 steals. In reference to defense, VCU allowed the other team to go 29.8% from the field on 17 of 57 shooting. Duquesne distributed 13 dimes and had 12 steals for the contest. In addition, Duquesne grabbed 38 rebounds (17 offensive, 21 defensive), but wasn't able to put a block in the stat sheet. Duquesne ended up shooting 71.4% from the free throw line by burying 15 of 21 attempts. They also buried 8 out of their 25 attempts from 3-point range. When discussing personal fouls, the Rams ended up finishing with 16 while Duquesne accounted for 14 personal fouls.

Joseph Bamisile is one guy who was a contributor in this matchup. He accounted for 20 points on 7 of 15 shooting. He played for 30 mins played and also totaled 4 boards. He went 46.7% from the field and totaled 2 dimes.

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VCU enters this matchup with a mark of 22-13 on the season. They turn the ball over 12.2 times per game and as a squad they commit 16.5 personal fouls on a nightly basis. As a unit, VCU is snagging 35.3 rebounds per contest and has accounted for 478 assists on the campaign, which is 86th in the country in terms of passing the rock. The Rams are shooting 35.7% from downtown (296 of 829) and 78.0% from the charity stripe. They currently have an average of 71.5 pts per contest (243rd in Division 1) while hitting 44.4% from the field.

On the defensive end, the Rams are able to force 11.1 turnovers every game while drawing 17.2 fouls. They are giving up 31.4% on shots from beyond the arc and they are 44th in college basketball in points per game allowed (66.7). The Rams defensively are giving up an opponent shooting percentage of 40.6% (796 of 1,963) and they surrender 32.7 boards per game as a basketball team. They are ranked 86th in the country in giving up assists with 382 surrendered on the year.

When they last stepped on the court, the Villanova Wildcats took a defeat with a final score of 71-65 when they faced Marquette. The Wildcats snagged 33 defensive rebounds and 8 offensive rebounds totaling 41 for the contest. They gave up possession of the ball 11 times, while getting 3 steals in this contest. Marquette had 17 fouls in the matchup which took the Wildcats to the free throw line for a total of 20 tries. They were able to knock down 16 of the free throws for a percentage of 80.0%. In regard to shots from beyond the perimeter, Villanova converted 9 of 35 tries (25.7%). When the final whistle was blown, the Wildcats finished shooting 20 out of 58 from the field which gave them a rate of 34.5%. The Wildcats permitted Marquette to bury 25 out of their 63 attempts from the floor which had them sitting at 39.7% in the game. They finished the game shooting 35.7% from three-point range by connecting on 10 of 28 and walked away from this one shooting 11 of 15 at the charity stripe (73.3%). In regard to rebounding, Villanova allowed Marquette to collect 31 overall (6 on the offensive side).

Eric Dixon pitched in for the Wildcats in the matchup. He recorded 19 points in his 41 minutes on the court and earned 2 assists for the matchup. He made 6 out of 15 for this game giving him a rate of 40.0%, and earned 11 rebounds.

Villanova has a mark of 18-15 this year. When it comes to offensive execution, the Wildcats are connecting on 42.5% from the field, which is 288th in D-1. Villanova has totaled 2,327 pts on the campaign (70.5 per contest) and they average 34.9 boards per game. Their rate of dishing out assists is at 12.9 times per contest (199th in Division 1) and they are turning it over 9.5 times per game. The Wildcats are committing 15.4 fouls every game and they connect on 81.4% from the free throw line.

The Wildcats are ranked 20th in college basketball in points per game surrendered with 65.5. They have forced 10.6 turnovers per game and allow teams to shoot 40.9% from the floor (35th in D-1). The Villanova defense allows 32.7% on 3-pointers (275 of 842) and their opposition makes 73.4% of their foul shots. They relinquish 13.2 assists and 34.0 boards per contest, which has them ranked 208th and 145th in those defensive categories.

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

Tony Sink's Pick: Take Villanova

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