Old Dominion Monarchs at Richmond Spiders
Tuesday, 12/20/11, 7:00 PM EST, TV: N/A
Opening Point Spread: Richmond -4.5
Current Betting Line: Richmond -4.5
Opening Total: 119
Current Total: 119
Odds Courtesy of Bookmaker
Old Dominion comes in off a 61-53 defeat against the Central Florida Knights as 5.5-point road underdogs, as it hopes to snap a two-game losing streak. The Monarchs defeated the Spiders, 77-70, at the Constant Center last year as 4.5-point home favorites, continuing a string of six consecutive victories by the home team in this particular series. Old Dominion is 0-3 ATS as a road underdog of 3.5 to 6 points, while the ‘under’ has cashed in all of those games.
The Monarchs are led by senior guard Kent Bazemore offensively, averaging 12.0 points per game. He had a great conference opener against Northeastern, scoring 21 points and grabbing nine rebounds. Senior forward Chris Cooper is also a player to watch and is becoming a double-double machine, leading the CAA with five of them. Old Dominion will be looking for its first win in Richmond since the 1996-97 campaign.
Richmond has lost three-straight games for the first time in the regular season since January/February 2009, entering off a 79-65 defeat against Bucknell. The Spiders have played just one home games in the last month, posting a 3-1 record inside the Robins Center. Snapping the losing streak is expected by many due to the team’s 16-2 record inside the venue versus non-conference opponents over the last three seasons. One thing to watch as the game goes along is the disparity at the free throw line, as the squad is averaging 22.2 free throws per game, which is much higher than last year’s 17.2 figure. Richmond is 2-0 ATS as a favorite this season.
The Spiders were expected to struggle a bit this year after graduating the winningest class in school history, with four starters leaving the program. Richmond’s troubles start and end on defense, allowing three consecutive opponents to break the 70-point barrier, something that happened just eight times the entire 2010-11 campaign. Offensively, the backcourt could be something special as the season wears on, with Cedrick Lindsay averaging 13.0 points and 4.3 assists to run the show at point guard. Junior Darien Brothers is the only returning starter and is currently averaging 10.5 points per game. A player to watch off the bench is freshman Kendall Anthony, who leads the team in scoring 15.0 points per game.
Bettors will likely back the Spiders due to their 11-1 ATS mark as a favorite, while the Monarchs are 4-10 ATS as a road underdog of 6.5 points or less.
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