A key college battle sees the visiting Massachusetts Minutemen travelling to Virginia Commonwealth Thursday to take on the Rams.

The Minutemen will try to spoil to the party on Thursday; they are 10-12 ATS against the number this season, while the Rams are 6-11 ATS. Massachusetts is 8-14 on the totals; Virginia Commonwealth is 7-10.



View Massachusetts vs Virginia Commonwealth Odds and Stats.

Betting Line:
The Rams were listed as 13-point favorites at most sportsbooks tracked by Odds Shark earlier in the day. It opened first at Sportsbook, where the total was expected shortly.

Power Rankings / Prediction:
The Power Rankings at Odds Shark show No. 78-rated Massachusetts taking on the No. 40-rated Rams in this contest. The scores prediction computer here indicates a possible 85-74 win for the Rams on Thursday.



How They Match Up:
Offensively, the game matches up Virginia Commonwealth's No. 15 nationally ranked offense (77.5 points per game) against a Minutemen defense that sits as the No. 251 at 69.7 PPG. The Rams have been averaging 45% from the field, more than the Minutemen have managed so far this season (42.9% on average).

Defensively, Massachusetts features the nation's No. 193-rated defense on the road, allowing 70.3 points per game. Virginia Commonwealth, meanwhile, comes in at No. 64 nationally in scoring at home.

In their last action, Massachusetts was an 80-62 Sportsbook at home against Saint Joseph's. They covered the 3.5-point spread as favorites. Massachusetts got 18 points from Terrell Vinson en route to an 80-62 victory over Saint Joseph's on Saturday at Mullins Center.

Virginia Commonwealth was a 68-61 Sportsbook in their most recent outing on the road against Charlotte. They failed to cover the 9-point spread as favorites. Virginia Commonwealth earned a 68-61 victory over Charlotte on Saturday, getting 21 points from Rob Brandenberg at Dale F. Halton Arena.


Massachusetts Minutemen Trends:
When playing on Thursday are 4-6
Before playing Temple are 5-5
After playing Saint Joseph's are 2-8
After a win are 7-3

Virginia Commonwealth Rams Trends:
When playing on Thursday are 5-5
Before playing George Washington are 1-1
After playing Charlotte are 0-1
After a win are 9-1

A few Minutemen at Rams trends to consider:
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Massachusetts's last 5 games on the road
Massachusetts is 6-2 SU in its last 8 games on the road
Virginia Commonwealth is 10-1 SU in its last 11 games at home
Virginia Commonwealth is 16-2 SU in its last 18 games
Virginia Commonwealth is 0-5 ATS in its last 5 games


Next up:
Massachusetts home to Temple, Saturday, February 16
Virginia Commonwealth home to George Washington, Saturday, February 16