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The Duquesne Dukes (23-11) and VCU Rams (22-12) meet in the Sunday title game of the Atlantic-10 Tournament in Brooklyn. The opening tip-off at the Barclays Center will be at 1 p.m. ET (CBS). Below, we analyze BetMGM Sportsbook‘s lines around the Duquesne vs. VCU odds, and make our expert college basketball picks, predictions and best bets.
Duquesne advanced to the title game with a 70-60 triumph over 7th-seeded St. Bonaventure Saturday. The 6th-seeded Dukes covered a 2-point spread and have won 3 in a row against the spread (ATS).
Virginia Commonwealth is the No. 5 squad in the A-10 bracket. The Rams defeated No. 9 Saint Joseph’s in the other semifinal, covering a 2-point spread in a 66-60 victory.
The Dukes swept a 2-game regular-season series from the Rams. Duquesne won both games ATS and is 4-0 ATS vs. VCU since 2020.
– Rankings courtesy of the USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll.
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Duquesne vs. VCU odds
Provided by BetMGM Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 8:13 a.m. ET.
- Moneyline: Duquesne +115 (bet $100 to win $115) | VCU -140 (bet $140 to win $100)
- Against the spread (ATS): Duquesne +2.5 (-115) | VCU -2.5 (-105)
- Over/Under (O/U): 127.5 (O: -110 | U: -110)
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Duquesne vs. VCU picks and predictions
Prediction
VCU 68, Duquesne 67
Moneyline
Too much juice for a close game: PASS.
Against the spread
Duquesne is 6-2 ATS when lined as an underdog. Since Feb. 28, the Dukes are 6-1 ATS.
Expect a close game between 2 teams who usually get after it defensively. Both sides defend the 3 well, but perhaps that cuts a bit more into what VCU wants to do on offense. And the Rams made just 4 triples Saturday.
Give the edge to Duquesne in the turnover exchange, and the Dukes have been dialed in from distance at Barclays (41.5% in this tournament).
The value edge here is slight: consider a partial-unit play on DUQUESNE +2.5 (-115).
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Over/Under
These are 2 slow-tempo programs, but the Over has gone 4-1 across the last 5 series meetings. The Over has gone 11-2 in DU’s last 13 neutral-site games.
Both teams yield a lot of free throws, and perhaps tired legs on defense — after a long week of tourney play for 2 teams not afforded top-4 byes — play into a lot of clock-stopped looks in this one. Both teams also usually get plentiful looks at the rim.
The regular-season meetings this year were totaled at 137 and 137.5. Peg Sunday’s figure as too low.
FanDuel Sportsbook has a better total to leverage. BACK THE OVER 126.5 (-115).
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