Continuing its quest for a second consecutive Final Four berth Virginia Commonwealth takes on Indiana Saturday in South Regional play in Portland.
VCU, a 12 seed a year after going to the Final Four, “upset” Wichita State Thursday 62-59, while the Hoosiers, a four seed, took care of New Mexico State 79-66.
Expect VCU to be an underdog again and for bettors to back them and their terrific ATS run in the tournament.
Rose Garden is the location for this game, which makes it a neutral-site matchup.
The Rams will try to spoil to the party on Saturday; they are 18-14-2 ATS against the number this season, while the Hoosiers are 18-9-1 ATS. Virginia Commonwealth is 15-19 on the totals; Indiana is 14-13-1.
View Virginia Commonwealth vs Indiana Odds and Stats.
Power Rankings / Prediction:
According to new college basketball power rankings here, it's the No. 40-ranked Hoosiers and the No. 97-rated Rams in this matchup. Computer formulas aimed at predicting NCAAB scores point to a 79-76 win for the Hoosiers on Saturday.
How They Match Up:
Offensively, the game matches up Indiana's No. 17 nationally ranked offense (77.3 points per game) against a Rams defense that sits as the No. 20 at 59.7 PPG. The Hoosiers have been averaging 49% from the field, more than the Rams have managed so far this season (41% on average).
Comparing how these foes stack up statistically, Virginia Commonwealth owns the country's No. 20-rated mark, allowing 61.9 points per game on the highway. Indiana, on the other hand, rates No. 19 in scoring at home.
In their last action, Virginia Commonwealth was a 62-59 Sportsbook on the road against Wichita State. They covered the 7.5-point spread as underdogs. The Rams grabbed a 62-59 win over the Shockers on Thursday, behind a 16-point effort from Bradford Burgess at Rose Garden.
Indiana was a 79-66 Sportsbook in their most recent outing at home against New Mexico State. They covered the 6-point spread as favorites. Indiana got 22 points from Jordan Hulls en route to a 79-66 victory over New Mexico State on Thursday at Rose Garden.
