VCU-Drexel Spread at Virginia Commonwealth -3

Carrie Stroup here and I have your VCU-Drexel spread coming in at Virginia Commonwealth Rams -3.  I also have a betting preview for the Fairfield-Loyola game.  You can find all the latest College Basketball betting odds at Sportsbook.com here.  Be sure to claim up to $250 in FREE CASH based on your initial deposit. 

Sportsbook.com Line & Total: VCU -3 & 118

Opening Line & Total: Rams -2.5 & 118

Two smoking-hot teams meet for the Colonial Athletic Association Championship on Monday night when VCU takes on Drexel.

Since losing at Drexel on Jan. 8, VCU is 16-1 SU (9-7-1 ATS). However, the Dragons have won a whopping 19 straight games (15-4 ATS), holding 15 of these opponents under 60 points! They also shoot much better from all areas (44% FG, 37% 3-pt FG, 75% FT) than the Rams (41% FG, 34% 3-pt FG, 69% FT) and are 4-0 ATS in the past four meetings. And don’t get sold on the hype of last year’s success, because the only holdover from last year’s VCU Final Four team is Bradford Burgess who’s shooting 36.6% FG this season.

Although this is technically a neutral-court game, VCU will certainly have the home-court advantage since the game takes place in the Richmond Coliseum located in the same city as the Rams campus. Virginia Commonwealth has been outshot in five of its past six games, with the only exception being Sunday’s 74-64 win over George Mason when it shot 42.3% FG compared to the Patriots’ 42.0% FG. The Rams actually led 32-4 against GMU before seeing their lead eventually shrink to six. VCU shot better from three-point range (44%) than inside the arc (41%) on Sunday. Bradford Burgess (13.5 PPG, 4.9 RPG) led VCU with 20 points against the Patriots, and he also had 19 in the Jan. 8 loss at Drexel (64-58). Although Burgess was just 7-of-19 from the floor against the Dragons, Juvonte Reddic (10.8 PPG, 6.9 RPG) was much more efficient that game, scoring 15 points (6-of-8 FG) with eight rebounds and two blocks. Junior Troy Daniels (10.0 PPG, 38% 3-pt FG) is coming off a huge game Sunday, scoring 17 points (4-of-7 threes) and grabbing six rebounds. This was quite an improvement from his three points and zero rebounds in the CAA Quarterfinal win (75-65) over Northeastern.

Drexel’s defense has been incredible lately, holding nine of its past 13 opponents to less than 37% shooting. In two CAA Tournament games, Dragons opponents have scored a measly 49.0 PPG on 34% FG. And although Drexel’s offense hasn’t been stellar in these two contests (63.5 PPG on 42% FG), it still posted comfortable wins of 12 points and 17 points. The Dragons go with mostly a seven-man rotation, with the top four scorers averaging double figures. Sophomore G Frantz Massenat leads team in scoring (13.6 PPG) and assists (4.5 APG), and he has been deadly from behind the arc at 45%. Massenat led all scorers with 24 points (7-of-10 FG, 4-of-4 threes) in the win over VCU in January. He also had a game-high 20 points in Sunday’s 68-51 win over Old Dominion, but shot just 5-of-15 from the field. Chris Fouch (10.3 PPG) was also 5-for-15 FG against ODU, but his 16 points marked his fifth straight game in double-figures. For Drexel to win, it could come down to its two big rebounders in Samme Givens (7.8 RPG) and Daryl McCoy (7.0 RPG) who both grabbed eight boards in the win over VCU this season.

FAIRFIELD STAGS (19-13) vs. LOYOLA (MD) GREYHOUNDS (23-8)

Sportsbook.com Line & Total: Fairfield -2.5 & 121

Opening Line & Total: Stags -2.5 & 122

The MAAC season comes to a close on Monday night when the conference two-seed Loyola (MD) takes on fourth-seeded Fairfield in Springfield, MA.

The Stags are riding high after beating MAAC top seed Iona by 10 points Sunday behind 26 points and 12 rebounds from Rakim Sanders who now has 17 straight games of at least a dozen points. Three weeks ago, Fairfield destroyed the Greyhounds, holding them to 13-of-46 FG (28%) in a 17-point rout at Loyola. The Stags owned the glass that day (32-20 rebounding edge) and had six players with 8+ points, while Loyola had three such players.

Although Fairfield is two seeds below Loyola, the two teams were separated by just one win in conference play. The Stags entered the MAAC Tournament with losses in three of their final four games. And after shooting just 38.6% FG versus Rider in the Quarterfinals (65-63 win), they put on an offensive clinic against Iona, making 60% FG and 7-of-14 threes. Sanders was 11-of-17 from the floor, while both Colin Nickerson (5-of-8 FG) and Keith Matthews (6-of-8 FG) chipped in with 14 points apiece. Desmond Wade was the only Stags player who didn’t shoot at least 50% from the floor at 1-for-8 FG, but he dished out 11 assists and committed just two turnovers.

Loyola is 11-3 SU (10-4 ATS) in its past 14 games and its offense has really been rolling, with 73.2 PPG on 51% FG over the past five contests. The Greyhounds shot 63% FG in their 86-73 quarterfinal win over Niagara and then followed that up with 51% FG in Sunday’s 70-60 semifinal win over Siena. Junior Erik Etherly (13.6 PPG, 7.5 RPG) scored 21 points in both games, nailing 62% of his shots. Both senior Shane Walker (9.1 PPG, 6.4 RPG) and junior Robert Olson (11.3 PPG, 3.5 RPG) had 12 points and six rebounds in the win over the Saints, with Olson adding a game-high six assists.

- Carrie Stroup, Gambling911.com Senior Reporter