The VCU Rams are gearing up to face the Massachusetts Minutemen in a crucial Atlantic 10 matchup on Wednesday. VCU aims to maintain their position in the conference title race after their recent win against George Washington, while UMass looks to bounce back from a loss to St. Bonaventure.

Key matchup insights:

• VCU (20-5, 10-2 in Atlantic 10) boasts an impressive home record of 12-0.
• UMass (11-15, 6-7 in Atlantic 10) is tied for seventh in the conference, showing resilience with a 4-4 record on the road.

The game will tip-off at 6 p.m. ET at the Siegel Center in Richmond, Va. VCU is favored by 17.5 points, with a projected over/under of 147.5 points.

Why bet on VCU: The Rams are riding a wave of momentum, with four consecutive wins and ten victories in their last eleven games. Senior guard Joe Bamisile leads the team, averaging 15.8 points and 5.2 rebounds over 25 games. He played a pivotal role in the recent victory against George Washington.

Why bet on UMass: Senior guard Rahsool Diggins is pivotal for UMass, averaging 17.2 points and had a standout performance against La Salle with 34 points. His leadership is crucial as UMass seeks to regain form.

How to make picks: SportsLine’s model predicts fewer points than the betting line suggests, projecting a total of 143 combined points while favoring one side of the spread hitting nearly 60% of the time.