The Atlantic 10 Tournament will open on March 9 in Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C., with St. Bonaventure seeking to defend its conference title. Let’s go over all the available sport betting information and try to find the best NCAAB betting picks!
The Bonnies, who are seeded fourth, have a large hill to climb in what is usually a balanced league and competitive tournament traditionally. If St. Bonaventure was to defend its title, the Bonnies would be the first program to do so since Temple won three straight from 2008 to 2008.
This year’s tournament has several promising candidates to punch their ticket to the NCAAB Tournament. Davidson, which is 25-5 overall and finished 15-3 in the conference, held off VCU and Dayton by one game to win the conference title.
The Wildcats had to sweat out the race until the final game of the regular season, where it sealed the top seed despite a loss thanks to Saint Louis’ upset of the Rams in the final game of the season.
Atlantic 10 Tournament Betting Prediction
Davidson in a tough group
Davidson stumbled out of the gate and didn’t appear to be headed toward an A10 regular-season crown. The Wildcats lost two of their first three games to start the season, including losses to San Francisco and New Mexico State. However, Davidson quickly got its act together once the conference started and won a string of close decisions.
The Wildcats were 4-1 in conference games decided by four or fewer points. Davidson survived another in overtime. Davidson is a team that has the makeup to sweat games out but has the offensive potential to blow the team’s doors off as well.
The Wildcats have four players — Foster Loyer (16.9 points per game), Hyunjung Lee (16.5), Luka Brajokovic (14.6), and Michael Jones (11.9) — who average in double figures scoring.
Davidson is a slight favorite, topping the pre-tournament odds at +325, and are a legit threat to capture its first tournament title since 2018.
VCU closes the season with a scorching run
Before losing its regular-season finale with St. Louis, the Rams had won eight straight to threaten Davidson for the regular-season crown. VCU, which is seeded third, has seen plenty of disappointment in recent runs through the conference tournaments. The Rams finished as runner-up in 2013, 2014, 2016, and 2017. VCU’s only crown came in 2015.
The Rams struggled to find their offensive rhythm early in the season, being limited to 44 points in a non-conference loss to Wagner and 54 points in a two-point loss to Chattanooga. While VCU still won’t be confused with the Showtime Lakers, the Rams have brought their scoring average up to 66.1 points per game and rallied behind their smother defense.
VCU limits its opponents to 26.8 percent shooting from the 3-point line and only allows opponents to score 60.8 points per game. Vince Williams leads the Rams in scoring by contributing 13.3 points per game.
Dangerous Dayton
The Dayton Flyers should still be steaming about the 2020 season, where the COVID-19 pandemic shut things down with Dayton with a top-five ranking and headed toward an A10 title. As it stands, the second-seeded Flyers haven’t won the conference since 2003.
This year’s Dayton team got out of the gate slowly, taking head-scratching losses to UMASS Lowell, Lipscomb, and Austin Peay before finding its game. The Flyers then rippled off wins against Miami and a stunner at the buzzer against Kansas that turned their season around.
Dayton is another team that plays at a more deliberate pace, and the Flyers only have two players that average in double figures scoring, with DaRon Holmes Jr. leading the Flyers by scoring 11.9 points per game.
The rest of the field
Sixth-seeded Richmond has lost one possession games to Davidson, VCU, and Dayton and returned a lot of experienced players. The Spiders may be worth a look at +750. Saint Bonaventure, which is seeded fourth, was ranked in the top 25 before the season started. However, the Bonnies hit more than a few bumps in the road during the regular season.
What has reared its head for St. Bonaventure is a lack of depth throughout the lineup. The Bonnies’ five regular starters all average in double figures scoring.
However, the Bonnies’ top bench player, Abdul Karim Coulibaly, only contributes 3.7 points per game. If St. Bonaventure can deliver on its pre-season promise, the Bonnies may be a solid bet at +400 NCAAB odds to defend their title and head back to the NCAA Tournament.
Prediction
Now on to our NCAAB expert picks. This tournament isn’t going to be for bettors with faint hearts. Many of the top teams are prone to slip-ups and usually find themselves in games that come down to the final few minutes. VCU has the potential for a difficult quarterfinal matchup with Richmond before a possible matchup with Dayton.
The Rams’ defense is smothering and will make life difficult for any team trying to win on the outside. VCU will find a way to grind out a victory in the conference tournament and ensure a trip to the big dance.
This could be the year the Rams shed their reputation for struggling in the big game. Getting betting odds of +400 is a nice value compared to the other top teams.
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