VCU vs Richmond Odds, Spread & Predictions (Jan. 20)

• Virginia Commonwealth University visits the Richmond Spiders on Friday, January 20th
• The VCU Rams have opened up as slight 1.5-point road favorites against their city rivals
• We dish out all the VCU vs Richmond odds and predictions

Just six miles to the West, Virginia Commonwealth (14-5, 7-10-2 ATS) will pay a visit to the Richmond Spiders (11-8, 9-10 ATS) as the two Atlantic 10 sides vie for bragging rights in Richmond, Virginia when they clash on Friday, January 20th.

Tipoff between the two rivals goes up at 7:00 pm ET from the Robins Center. Sitting perched atop the conference, VCU are 1.5-point favorites away from home. The Rams are just 2-3 on the road this season, while Richmond own a 9-1 home record.

Count on a frenzied crowd for this matchup. Below, we provide the VCU vs Richmond odds while also breaking down the game and offering our prediction for what’s expected to a terrific contest.

VCU vs Richmond Odds

Odds as of January 19th from  FanDuel. Unlock the FanDuel promo code to  bet on this game.

It’s a tough one to pick in the VCU vs Richmond odds with the Rams owning an implied win probability of 54.55%. As +100 underdogs on the moneyline, the Spiders have are a coin flip at 50% probability to win this game.

VCU Rams on a Roll

Without a doubt, the Rams are the hottest team in the Atlantic 10 conference, winning nine of their last 10 games. They’re also a very impressive 6-1-1 against the spread in their last eight after covering the spread just once in their previous 11 contests.

𝙋𝙇𝘼𝙔𝙎 𝙊𝙁 𝙏𝙃𝙀 𝙂𝘼𝙈𝙀 presented by @avidusapp was all high flying @TheBigTickettt dunks 🤯#UNLIMITED #LetsGoVCU pic.twitter.com/QO43ga1Xic

— VCU Basketball (@VCU_Hoops) January 18, 2023

According to KenPom, Virginia Commonwealth have an adjusted defensive efficiency of 95.6 which ranks 36 an impressive 36th overall in the nation. Quick hands help the Rams force 17.79 turnovers per game, putting them 12th in the country.

Only four times this year have VCU allowed more than 70 points. Since returning from the holiday break, the Rams have picked it up on offense collectively shooting over 50% from the field and averaging just shy of 80 points per outing. On the season, VCU averages 71.3 points, right in the middle of the pack of Division I squads.

Richmond Spiders Betting Outlook

While VCU own a stellar defense, the Spiders aren’t too shabby on that side of the ball themselves possessing the third best defense in the Atlantic 10. Last time these two sides met was last year’s conference tournament, when Richmond easily handled the Rams, winning by double digits.

VCU vs Richmond Recent Results

Richmond has been much better as hosts this campaign, but all of its home conference wins have come against opponents that rank outside the top 10 in the Atlantic 10 in defensive efficiency. This time around, they’ll be going against the second best defensive team in the conference, next to Dayton.

Also, the Spiders are 0-4 against the spread in their last four games when facing a team with a winning percentage of .600 or better. It’s been over two months since Richmond last lost at the Robins Center.

Richmond has been much better in the Robins Center, but all of its home conference wins have come against opponents that rank outside the top 10 in the Atlantic 10 in defensive efficiency.

VCU vs Richmond Pick and Prediction

Following a straight up win in their last seven games, VCU are 5-1-1 against the spread. Meanwhile, the Spiders have struggled with stiffer competition, going just 1-4 ATS in their last five against teams with a winning mark.

Ready to paint the city 𝙧𝙚𝙙 on Friday🔴🕷️🕸️
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• #OneRichmond #𝐂𝐚𝐩𝐢𝐭𝐚𝐥𝐂𝐢𝐭𝐲𝐂𝐥𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐜 | @SpiderMBB pic.twitter.com/PzZxqbivL5

— Richmond Athletics (@SpiderAthletics) January 18, 2023

Both sides thrive and feed off their defense. Richmond in particular can slow a game to a snail’s pace with an adjusted tempo that ranks them 301st in the country according to KenPom.

While the over/under total in the college basketball odds for this matchup only sits at 131.5, there’s a reason sportsbooks have set that number so low.

One quirky stat is that the Spiders have only hit the over once in their last six Friday games. With a ton of pressure in a big game, these players might be a little tight off the hop. Our prediction is that the final falls below 131.5 in the VCU vs Richmond odds.

Pick: Under 131.5 Points (-110)