Duquesne Dukes (22-11) vs. VCU Rams (22-12)
March 17, 2024 1:00 pm EDT
The Line: VCU Rams -1.5 ; Over/Under: 127.5
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The Duquesne Dukes and the VCU Rams meet Sunday in Atlantic 10 college basketball action from Barclays Center. Let’s get into our Duquesne vs VCU prediction. Check back all season long for free college basketball picks at Sports Chat Place.
Duquesne Dukes
The Dukes managed a 13-8 start to the year, then hit a 3-3 stretch in February. Duquesne would finish off the regular season with wins over La Salle, George Mason, VCU and George Washington. The first two tourney games were also wins over Saint Louis and Dayton.
On Saturday in their tournament matchup versus St. Bonaventure, the Dukes were up 28-22 in the locker room. Duquesne hit a 42-38 second half run and powered out the victory 70-60 in the end. Tops in scoring was Dae Dae Grant with 27 points, three assists and two rebounds.
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VCU Rams
Over on the Rams’ side, they were sitting at a pretty solid 17-8 overall record in mid-February. VCU finished the regular season on a rough 2-4 run though, losing to UMass, Richmond, Duquesne and Dayton. The Rams’ first two tournament victories came versus Fordham and UMass.
On Saturday in the Saint Joseph’s tourney matchup, the Rams held a two-point deficit going into the second half. VCU came back on a 43-35 run from there however, ultimately pulling off the win 66-60. Leading team scorer Max Shulga put up 25 points with four rebounds, three assists and three steals.
VCU Rams Team Facts
- VCU has won 19 of its last 20 day games against non-AP-ranked opponents.
- Seven of VCU’s last eight games against Conference opponents have produced a total of 128+ points.
- VCU has lost the first half in four of its last five games against non-AP-ranked opponents.
Duquesne Dukes Team Facts
- Duquesne has won each of its last seven games.
- Each of Duquesne’s last 12 day games at a neutral venue have produced a total of 129+ points.
- Duquesne has won the first half in each of its last five games against the Atlantic 10 Conference.
ANDREW’S FREE DUQUESNE VS VCU PREDICTION
I’ll probably lean toward VCU in this one. You could obviously make a case either way, though. The Rams finished strong in their Saturday matchup versus St. Joseph’s, eventually shooting 50.9 percent from the field with just eight turnovers. The bad news for VCU is that they’ve been below 70 points in three of the last four games. The good news is that they’ve held opponents below 63 points in three straight.
These teams last saw each other on March 5 in a 69-59 road win for the Dukes. Duquesne scored 18 points off 14 VCU turnovers, but also coughed up 11 turnovers for 19 points themselves. The key stat was probably the Dukes’ 11-of-12 from the line, which helped down the stretch. I like this tournament rematch to be close, with VCU powering out a cover/win. It’s something of a coin flip, though. Should be a fun one to watch regardless.
