Richmond vs. TCU Pick
A spot at MSG is on the line tonight when No. 4 TCU hosts No. 6 Richmond in the NIT Tournament quarterfinal at 7PM ET.
According to oddsmakers at BetDSI, TCU is the clear favorite in this game, as the Horned Frogs are getting odds of -7.5 points against Richmond. The over/under total for the game is listed at 150 points. They will play tonight from the Ed and Rae Schollmaier Arena in Fort Worth, Texas.
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TCU is coming off a 94-92 OT win at Iowa in the second round and the Horned Frogs also beat Fresno State in the first round. TCU has won four of its last five games to move to 21-15 on the season. They are also 16-18 against the spread this season and 9-9 ATS at home. TCU is averaging 74 points per game on offense while allowing 70.8 on defense. Vladimir Brodziansky is averaging 13.7 points and 5.6 rebounds per game while Kenrich Williams is adding 10.9 points and 9.4 rebounds per contest. Jaylen Fisher averages 9.9 points per game, but he is out tonight with a wrist injury.
Richmond opened the NIT with a 71-64 win over Alabama and then followed it up with an 87-83 win over Oakland in the second round. The Spiders have won seven of their last eight games to move to 22-12 on the season. Richmond is now 15-12-3 against the spread on the season and 10-4-2 against the spread on the road. Richmond averages 74.4 points per game on offense this season while allowing 71.6 on defense. TJ Cline is leading the team with 18.1 points, 5.6 assists and 7.8 rebounds per game while ShawnDre’ Jones is adding 17 points per game.
I think the spread is too large in this game. Richmond has been playing very well for the last month, especially as an underdog. The Spiders won’t feel overwhelmed by playing at TCU and they have the top players on the floor in Cline. He should be able to take over this game and keep Richmond from losing by a large margin.
NIT TOURNAMENT PREDICTION: RICHMOND +7.5