Western Carolina Catamounts vs VCU Rams Prediction, 12/15/2020 College Basketball Pick, Tips and Odds

Game: Western Carolina Catamounts vs VCU Rams

Date: Tuesday, December 15, 2020

Location: Stuart C. Siegel Center in Richmond, VA

TV: ESPN+

Odds/Point Spread: Western Carolina (+15)

The Western Carolina Catamounts (6-1) go to Stuart C. Siegel Center on Tuesday where they'll meet the VCU Rams (5-2). The odds on this matchup have VCU as 15-point favorites. The over/under is set at 146.5.

Western Carolina comes into this game with a mark of 6-1 for the campaign. They have an average of 87.4 points per outing (29th in D-1) while hitting 47.6% from the floor. The Catamounts are shooting 36.4% on three-point shots (68 of 187) and 71.7% from the free throw line. As a team, Western Carolina is pulling in 38.6 rebounds per game and has accounted for 103 dimes on the year, which is 32nd in the nation in terms of passing the ball. They are turning it over 14.1 times per contest and as a group they commit 18.6 personal fouls per contest. On the defensive end, the Catamounts are able to force 14.7 turnovers per contest while drawing 23.1 personal fouls. They give up 36.6% on shots from beyond the arc while they are 258th in college basketball in opponents PPG (76.9). The Catamounts defensively are allowing a shooting percentage of 42.0% (190 of 452) and they surrender 35.9 boards per game as a group. They rank 278th in Division 1 in giving up assists with 86 relinquished on the campaign.

The Western Carolina Catamounts played the North Carolina A&T Aggies and took home the win by a score of 104-98 in their last contest. Western Carolina finished the game having earned a 58.2% field goal percentage (39 out of 67) and buried 11 of their 25 shots from beyond the arc. From the free throw line, the Catamounts knocked down 15 of 26 attempts for a rate of 57.7%. When discussing pulling down rebounds, they collected 36 with 11 of them being of the offensive variety. They also distributed 18 assists for this contest as well as earning 5 steals and 3 blocks. With regard to defense, Western Carolina allowed 58.2% from the floor on 39 out of 67. North Carolina A&T recorded 20 assists and 3 steals for the contest. Furthurmore, the Aggies grabbed 35 rebounds (14 offensive, 21 defensive) and got 3 rejections. North Carolina A&T shot 56.7% from the free throw line by making 17 of 30 tries. They buried 11 of their 26 tries from distance.

Matt Halvorsen is someone who came through for the game. He had 23 points on 7 out of 10 shooting. He played for 43 minutes and pulled down 2 rebounds. Halvorsen finished the game shooting 70.0% from the field and distributed 2 assists. Someone else that saw a lot of time on the hardwood in this game for the Catamounts was Mason Faulkner. He grabbed 4 boards and tallied 6 dimes. He finished the game shooting 60.0% from the field in this contest by shooting 6-of-10 (20 points). When the final whistle blew, Faulkner played for 39 min.

VCU has a win-loss mark of 5-2 on the season. When it comes to executing on offense, the Rams are hitting on 46.6% from the field, which has them ranked 122nd in D-1. VCU has accounted for 522 points for the campaign (74.6 per game) and they pull down 34.6 rebounds per contest. They are dishing out assists 14.0 times per game (141st in Division 1) and they turn it over 15.7 times per game. The Rams commit 20.3 fouls per contest while shooting 75.7% from the charity stripe. The Rams are ranked 48th in the country in PPG given up with 61.9. They are able to force 18.1 turnovers on a nightly basis and allow teams to shoot 37.9% from the floor (44th in D-1). The VCU defense gives up 27.5% on 3-point attempts (36 of 131) and opponents are converting on 67.3% of their free throw shots. They have given up 10.1 dimes and 34.1 boards per game, which is ranked 50th and 122nd in college hoops.

When they last stepped on the hardwood, the VCU Rams went home victorious with a score of 77-54 against the Old Dominion Monarchs. The Rams were able to corral 29 defensive boards and 9 offensive rebounds for a total of 38 in the matchup. They blocked 6 shots while recording 10 steals in this contest. The Monarchs had 21 personal fouls for this contest which got the Rams to the charity stripe for 27 shots. They were able to knock down 20 of them for a percentage of 74.1%. In regard to shooting from beyond the arc, VCU buried 7 out of 21 attempts (33.3%). Overall, the Rams went 25 for 53 from the floor which gave them a percentage of 47.2%. The Rams permitted the Monarchs to bury 21 out of their 54 attempts from the field which gave them a shooting percentage of 38.9% for the matchup. They shot 20.0% from beyond the arc by hitting 3 of 15 and finished the contest at 9 out of 16 from the charity stripe (56.3%). Concerning rebounds, VCU allowed Old Dominion to grab 25 overall (5 on the offensive side).

Nah'Shon Hyland played a lot for the Rams in this contest. He knocked down 4 of 14 for this game for a field goal percentage of 28.6%, which earned him 15 points. Hyland grabbed 4 rebounds in his 30 minutes and had 2 dimes for this game. Another guy who was a determining factor for VCU was Vince Williams. He notched 11 points in his 27 minutes played via 3 out of 6 from the floor for this game. Williams ended the game having shot 50.0% from the floor and also earning 2 dimes and 8 total rebounds.

Who will win tonight's college basketball game against the spread?

Tony Sink's Pick: Take Western Carolina (+15)

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