VCU vs George Mason College Basketball Picks, Odds, Predictions 2/20/21

The George Mason Patriots and the VCU Rams meet in college basketball action from the Stuart Siegel Center on Saturday afternoon.

The George Mason Patriots will look to build on a 77-45 win over Fordham in their last matchup. Jordan Miller leads the Patriots in scoring with 15.9 PPG along with 5.2 RPG while Javon Greene has 11.3 PPG with 5.2 RPG of his own and Tyler Kolek has 11.1 PPG with a team-high 2.3 APG to make up the group of double-digit scorers for GMU so far this season. Josh Oduro has 9.9 PPG and a team-high 6.1 RPG to lead the Patriots on the glass while AJ Wilson has 8.6 PPG and 5.5 RPG as well this season. As a team, George Mason is averaging 70.5 PPG on 42.8% shooting from the field, 33.1% from 3-point range and 62% from the foul line while allowing 70.1 PPG on 43.4% shooting from the field and 35.1% from 3-point range this season.

The VCU Rams will look to build on a 68-56 win over Richmond in their last outing. Nah’Shon Hyland leads the Rams in scoring with 19.4 PPG along with 4.4 RPG while Vince Williams Jr. has 10.7 PPG and a team-high 5.2 RPG to make up the duo of double-digit scorers for VCU up to this point in the season. Hason Ward has 5.2 RPG as well on the year and Adrian Baldwin Jr. leads VCU with 4.6 APG this season. As a team, VCU is averaging 73.1 PPG on 45.3% shooting from the field, 33.7% from 3-point range and 75.9% from the foul line while allowing 64.6 PPG on 40.3% shooting from the field and 29.9% from 3-point range this season.

George Mason is 1-4 ATS in their last 5 road games and 16-38-1 ATS in their last 55 games against a team with a winning record while the over is 4-0 in their last 4 road games following three or more straight home games. VCU is 3-7 ATS in their last 10 games overall and 1-4 ATS in their last 5 home games while the under is 6-2 in their last 8 games against a team with a winning record. The road team is 5-2 ATS in the last 7 meetings between these two teams.

I’m trying to make a case for George Mason with the points but the issue I’m having is that the Patriots aren’t shooting the rock very efficiently and when the Patriots are making it to the foul line, they’re not converting, making just 62% of their attempts and against a VCU team that’s known for its defense, you have to be able to score from the foul line because it’s one of the only times where you won’t have a hand in your face on a shot. I think George Mason’s just overmatched here, so I’ll back VCU laying the points at home in this spot.