Davidson vs Rhode Island 1/8/22 College Basketball Picks, Predictions, Odds

The Rhode Island Rams will travel to John M. Belk Arena to take on the Davidson Wildcats this Saturday afternoon in College Basketball action.

The Rhode Island Rams won their 3^rd straight game and improved to 9-3 on the season after defeating the American International Yellow Jackets, 70-55, this past Sunday. Rhode Island was solid defensively against American International and had no trouble securing the victory after going into halftime with a 35-22 lead. Rhode Island shot 43.1% from the field & 31.8% from beyond the arc while holding American International to just 31.9% shooting from the field & 27.3% from beyond the arc. Leading the way for the Rams was Makhi Mitchell who had 19 points, 8 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 blocks, & 1 steal.

On the season, Rhode Island is averaging 71.1 ppg on 48.9% shooting from the field. The Rams are averaging 5.9 three-pointers per game on 36.2% shooting from beyond the arc. Offensively, Rhode Island has been led by Jeremy Sheppard (11.0 ppg, 3.0 rpg, 2.8 apg, 1.4 spg), Makhi Mitchell (10.5 ppg, 6.9 rpg, 1.3 apg, 1.1 bpg), Makhel Mitchell (10.3 ppg, 5.2 rpg, 1.7 apg), & Ishmael Leggett (9.2 ppg, 2.9 rpg, 2.3 apg, 1.5 spg).

Defensively, Rhode Island is holding their opponents to an average of 61.8 ppg on 36.0% shooting from the field. The Rams have a rebound margin of 4.8 and a turnover margin of -1.4.

The Davidson Wildcats won their 10^th straight game and improved to 11-2 on the season after defeating the Saint Joseph’s Hawks, 88-73, this past Wednesday night. Davidson was outstanding on the offensive end against Saint Joseph’s and pulled away in the 2^nd half after taking a 55-39 lead with 14:23 left in regulation. Davidson shot 50.8% from the field & 45.8% from beyond the arc while allowing Saint Joseph’s to shoot 41.5% from the field & 39.3% from beyond the arc. Leading the way for the Wildcats was Foster Loyer who had 25 points, 4 rebounds, & 5 assists.

On the season, Davidson is averaging 78.8 ppg on 50.1% shooting from the field. The Wildcats are averaging 10.1 three-pointers per game on 42.7% shooting from beyond the arc. Offensively, Davidson has been led by Hyunjung Lee (17.5 ppg, 6.7 rpg, 2.2 apg), Foster Loyer (16.0 ppg, 2.3 rpg, 3.2 apg, 1.1 spg), Mike Jones (12.8 ppg, 2.5 rpg, 2.5 apg, 1.5 spg), & Luka Brajkovic (12.0 ppg, 6.7 rpg, 2.4 apg, 1.1 bpg).

Defensively, Davidson is holding their opponents to an average of 65.4 ppg on 41.6% shooting from the field. The Wildcats have a rebound margin of 2.7 and a turnover margin of 3.0.

The Rams are 2-5 Ats in their last 7 games against Davidson & just 1-5 ATS in their last 6 games vs. A-10 opponents. The Wildcats are 9-0 ATS in their last 9 games & 5-0 ATS in their last 5 home games.

Rhode Island has been led by their defense which comes into this game ranked 43^rd in scoring defense & 4^th in defensive FG%, however, although the Rams have shot the ball well, ranking 18^th in FG%, Rhode Island has struggled putting points on the board as they come into this matchup ranked just 205^th in scoring offense. Davidson has been solid on both ends of the court this season as the Wildcats come into this game ranked 47^th in scoring offense, 10^th in FG%, 2^nd in 3P-FG%, & 99^th in scoring defense.

Rhode Island is a decent team, however, the Rams generally struggle on the road, and I think there are going to struggle to put up points in this one. Davidson has plenty of offensive firepower to put up points at home against the Rhode Island defense and after recently seeing the Wildcats take down Alabama on a neutral court, I think Davidson does enough in this one to cover this mid-range home spread. Good Luck!