UMass Minutemen vs VCU Rams Prediction, 2/19/2025 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: UMass Minutemen vs VCU Rams

Date: Wednesday, February 19, 2025

Location: Siegel Center in Terre Haute, IN

TV: ESPN+

The VCU Rams (20-5) will try to defeat the UMass Minutemen (11-14) at Siegel Center on Wednesday.

The UMass Minutemen took the court against Davidson and took a loss by a final of 77-68 in their last contest. When it comes to fouls, the Minutemen finished with 12 and Davidson totaled 13 fouls. They converted 7 of 20 attempts from 3-point land. Davidson finished the contest at 90.9% when shooting free throws by burying 10 of 11 attempts. On top of that, Davidson snagged 35 boards (9 offensive, 26 defensive), but didn't have a block. Davidson recorded 17 dimes and had 5 steals in the matchup. In the matter of defending, UMass allowed their opponent to shoot 48.4% from the field on 30 out of 62 shooting. They also doled out 16 dimes in the matchup while forcing 8 turnovers and getting 5 steals. With respect to rebounding, they earned 30 with 12 of them being of the offensive variety. From the free throw line, the Minutemen buried 7 of 10 attempts for a rate of 70.0%. UMass ended the contest with a 39.7% field goal percentage (27 out of 68) and converted 7 of 22 shots from downtown.

Jaylen Curry is one guy who came through in the matchup. He finished the game at 31.3% from the field and also recorded 3 dimes. He saw the court for 37 mins and also pulled down 2 rebounds. He ended up scoring 14 points on 5 of 16 shooting.

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UMass enters this game with a mark of 11-14 for the campaign. They are averaging 75.4 points per outing (149th in Division 1) while shooting 42.1% from the field. The Minutemen are hitting 28.9% on shots from 3-point land (149 of 515) and 65.8% from the free throw line. As a unit, UMass is snagging 40.3 rebounds per game and has racked up 337 dimes on the year, which has them ranked 195th in the country in terms of passing the ball. They lose possession via turnover 12.0 times per contest and as a team they are committing 18.6 fouls on a nightly basis.

Defensively, the Minutemen have forced 13.1 turnovers per game and they draw 19.6 fouls. They rank 291st in Division 1 in giving up assists to the opposition with 360 conceded on the campaign. The Minutemen are giving up a FG percentage of 41.7% (635 of 1,524) and they surrender 37.7 rebounds per contest as a group. They concede 31.3% on shots from beyond the arc and they are ranked 261st in college in opponents points per game (74.4).

In their last game, the VCU Rams took home the win by a final score of 80-72 against George Washington. The Rams recorded 22 defensive boards and 12 offensive rebounds totaling 34 in the game. They also coughed it up 16 times, while recording 8 steals in this matchup. George Washington had 16 fouls for this game which took the Rams to the free throw line for 16 shots. They were able to make 14 of the free throw attempts for a percentage of 87.5%. In the matter of shooting from 3-point land, VCU made 14 of 28 tries (50.0%). Overall, the Rams shot 26 out of 51 from the field which gave them a rate of 51.0%. The Rams allowed George Washington to knock down 22 of 52 attempts from the field which had them shooting 42.3% for the matchup. They finished 40.9% from three-point range by going 9 of 22 and ended up shooting 19 out of 27 at the free throw line (70.4%). In reference to cleaning up the glass, VCU permitted George Washington to grab 20 in all (7 on the offensive glass).

Jack Clark ended up being important for the Rams for the game. He converted 6 of 9 in this game for a rate of 66.7%, and had 9 rebounds. He scored 18 points in his 35 mins on the hardwood and accounted for 4 dimes in this contest.

VCU has a record of 20-5 for the campaign. The Rams are committing 17.9 personal fouls every game and they connect on 73.4% from the charity stripe. Their rate of dishing out assists is at 15.5 times per contest (73rd in D-1) and they cough up possession 11.6 times per contest. VCU has accounted for 1,961 pts for the year (78.4 per game) and they collect 38.3 rebounds per contest. When it comes to offensive execution, the Rams are shooting 44.8% from the field, which is ranked 188th in the nation.

The VCU defense gives up 31.0% on shots from beyond the arc (147 of 474) and their opposition makes 72.2% of their free throw attempts. They have conceded 9.9 assists and 33.2 boards on a nightly basis, which is ranked 10th and 108th in college hoops. The Rams on the defensive side of the court are 13th in college hoops in points given up per game with 63.3. They are forcing 14.9 turnovers per game and allow teams to shoot 39.4% from the floor (14th in college).

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

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take UMass

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