The Virginia Commonwealth Rams will try to cover the spread at Barclays Center on Saturday when they get a visit from the Massachusetts Minutemen in NCAA basketball action.

This is a conference playoff game in the Atlantic 10 Tournament. This game is being played at a neutral-site court (Barclays Center).

The Rams currently sports a 25-7 record overall in NCAAB action, and have posted a corresponding betting slate of 9-16 ATS. The Minutemen are 21-10 and 15-16 ATS. Betting totals have seen the Rams produce a 14-11 OVER/UNDER record on the season, while the Minutemen have gone 15-16 against the number.



View Massachusetts vs Virginia Commonwealth Odds and Stats.

Power Rankings / Prediction:
The Rams sit at No. 39 in the current college hoops power poll here at Odds Shark, while the Minutemen sit at No. 80 on the same chart. The computers running our scores simulations have concluded that the Rams will win this game 85-74.



How They Match Up:
Offensively, the game matches up Virginia Commonwealth's No. 8 nationally ranked offense (78.2 points per game) against a Minutemen defense that sits as the No. 295 at 71.7 PPG. The Rams have been averaging 45.5% from the field, more than the Minutemen have managed so far this season (43.8% on average).

Comparing how these foes stack up statistically, Massachusetts owns the country's No. 270-rated mark, allowing 73.3 points per game on the highway. Virginia Commonwealth, on the other hand, rates No. 32 in scoring at home.

Massachusetts was a 79-74 Sportsbook in its last match on the road against Temple. They covered the 4.5-point spread as underdogs. Chaz Williams scored 28 points for Massachusetts on Friday, leading the Minutemen to a 79-74 win over Temple at Barclays Center.

Last time out for Virginia Commonwealth, they were an 82-79 Sportsbook as they battled Saint Joseph's at home. They failed to cover in the match as an 8-point favorite. Virginia Commonwealth earned an 82-79 victory over Saint Joseph's on Friday, getting 17 points from Treveon Graham at Barclays Center.