The VCU Rams and Saint Joseph’s Hawks will play Sunday afternoon for the Atlantic 10 tournament final. When these teams played on February 8, the Hawks won 69-62.
The Rams beat Richmond and George Washington to make this final matchup. On the season, they’re averaging 75.4 points on 42 percent shooting and are allowing 64.8 points on 42.8 percent shooting. They’re led by junior guard Treveon Graham, who averages 15.5 points and 7 rebounds. As a team, the Rams shoot 67.6 percent from the free throw line and 34.8 percent from beyond the arc. Defensively, they haven’t allowed more than 67 points in their last six games. They are 17-13-1 ATS overall.
The Hawks made this matchup by beating Dayton and St. Bonaventure. On the season, they are averaging 71.5 points on 46.8 percent shooting and are allowing 67.1 points on 42 percent shooting. They’re led by senior guard Langston Galloway, who averages 17.4 points, 4.4 rebounds and 1.5 assists. As a team, they shoot 64.3 percent from the free throw line and 38.1 percent from beyond the arc. Defensively, they held the Bonnies to 25.4 percent shooting in their last game. They are 16-11-1 ATS overall this season.
The Hawks are 4-0 ATS in their last 4 neutral site games and 6-1 ATS in their last 7 games vs. a team with a winning SU record. The Rams are 5-0-1 ATS in their last 6 games overall and 4-0 ATS in their last 4 neutral site games.
Go ahead and back the Rams. They're a team that's peaking at the right time and is playing terrific defense. They've won their last six games and playing nearly flawless basketball during the tournament. VCU should easily win this game by six or seven points.