Friday College Basketball Odds, Picks & Predictions: Davidson Wildcats vs. Richmond Spiders Betting Preview

Friday College Basketball Odds, Picks & Predictions: Davidson Wildcats vs. Richmond Spiders Betting Preview article feature image
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Photo by William Howard/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images. Pictured: Chris Mooney (Richmond)

  • Two 3-point shooting teams, Davidson and Richmond, square off in an Atlantic 10 duel.
  • The Wildcats were expected to be a middle-of-the-pack team this year, while the Spiders were supposed to compete for the conference title.
  • Kyle Remillard breaks down this matchup and explains why the value lies on the total.

Davidson vs. Richmond Odds

Friday, Jan. 14
9 p.m. ET
ESPNU
Davidson Odds
SpreadTotalMoneyline
+1
-110
143
-110o / -110u
N/A
Richmond Odds
SpreadTotalMoneyline
-1
-110
143
-110o / -110u
N/Ad
Odds via DraftKings. Get up-to-the-minute college basketball odds here.

Davidson has caught fire in the early part of the season, winning 12 straight games, including three in Atlantic 10 play. The Wildcats own a trio of outside shooting threats that have carried them throughout the win streak.

Richmond has underachieved a bit through the first two months, hoisting a 10-6 record. The Spiders are just 1-5 when matching up against teams that rank inside the top 100 and have found most of their victories over cakewalk opponents.

Back in November, it was Richmond projected to finish near the top of the conference with Davidson on the outside looking in. Fast forward to the present, and the two programs have nearly traded spots, with Richmond holding odds of +1500 and Davidson sitting at +360 to win the league.

This matchup looks primed to become a 3-point shootout, which provides value on the total.


Davidson Wildcats

The Wildcats' offense thrives on its shot-making abilities. The group ranks second in the nation in 3-point percentage, hitting 41% of its attempts.

The shooting is spearheaded by the three-headed monster of Hyunjung Lee, Foster Loyer and Michael Jones. The trio has combined to hit 117-of-256 shots from outside — good for 46%. All three of them average double digits in points per game and are the centerpieces of Bob McKillop's offense.

Davidson also hits 58% of its overall field goal attempts, which ranks sixth in the nation. 41% of the team's shot attempts come from behind the arc, which translates to 38% of the points on the season. The Wildcats play at a slow pace, but are hyper-efficient and rarely turn the ball over.

With all the perimeter weapons that the Wildcats own, they sacrifice on the defensive end, where the group ranks outside the top 100 in defensive efficiency. They allow opponents to hit 51% of their field goal attempts and 35% from 3-point range — both rank outside the top 200.

In this game, they will matchup against a Richmond offense that takes 44% of its shot attempts from outside and hits at a 35% clip.

Last time out, Davidson defeated UMass by 10 points on the road. Luka Brajkovic was 9-for-10 in the game and led all scorers with 25 points.

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Richmond Spiders

Richmond returned four of its five starters from last year's squad that looked to be a prime contender in the conference late in the season. But the group hasn’t been able to find the same success early this year.

The Spiders play with a similar 3-point heavy offense as Davidson, but does so with a bit more tempo.

Richmond takes a boatload of 3-pointers and converts at a high rate. The Spiders take care of the basketball, ranking 11th in the nation in turnover percentage.

Tyler Burton and Grant Golden are the starting forwards and key to the Spiders' offensive success. The duo averages 34 points and 14 rebounds per game contest while both scoring double digits in all but three games this season.

Jacob Gilyard is the prominent ball handler for Richmond despite standing at just 5-foot-9. He’s averaging 6.5 assists per game, but hasn’t been terrific shooting the basketball, hitting just 35% from the floor.

The experienced group plays with much cohesion, as they have assisted on 63% of its made field goals this season, which is top 12 in the nation.

The Richmond defense has been a shell of itself — allowing 71 points per game — and when the Spiders match up against teams that rank inside the top 100, that number jumps to 81.

They’ve been putrid at defending the perimeter, allowing opponents to hit 35% of their attempts (260th nationally). That’s a major concern matching up with Davidson, which makes its living from 3-point territory.


Davidson vs. Richmond Betting Pick

Best case scenario for McKillop's roster is it gets into a 3-point shootout, and he may get his wish with this matchup.

Both teams take over 40% of their shot attempts from beyond the arc, with Davidson converting at 41% and Richmond hitting 35%. Each program is awful at defending such shot attempts, with both teams ranking outside the top 250 in the nation.

Davidson has hit 10 or more 3-pointers in four of its last five games, and there is no reason to believe it doesn't hit that number in this game.

This matchup is primed to see both teams bombing away and converting at a high clip. That provides value on the over. This game is primed to be a 3-point contest.

Pick: Over 143 (Play to 145)

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Sean Treppedi
Mar 28, 2024 UTC