The 12th-seeded Richmond Spiders begin defense of their title when they take on the No. 13 seed UMass Minutemen on Tuesday in the first round of the 2023 Atlantic 10 Conference tournament. Richmond (14-17, 7-11), which defeated Davidson in the final to win the tourney last year, ended the regular season with a three-game losing streak after falling 62-60 against George Mason on Saturday. UMass (15-15, 6-12) finished the campaign with a 71-60 triumph over St. Bonaventure.
Tip-off at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, NY is set for 11:30 a.m. ET. The Spiders are 2.5-point favorites in the latest Richmond vs. UMass odds from Caesars Sportsbook, while the over/under for total points scored is 142. Before making any UMass vs. Richmond picks, be sure to check out the college basketball predictions and betting advice from the SportsLine Projection Model.
The model simulates every Division I college basketball game 10,000 times. The model enters conference tournament week 76-51 on all top-rated college basketball picks this season, returning nearly $1,200 for $100 players. Anyone who has followed it has seen huge returns.
Now, the model has set its sights on Richmond vs. UMass and just locked in its picks and CBB predictions. You can visit SportsLine now to see the model’s picks. Here are the college basketball lines and trends for UMass vs. Richmond:
- Richmond vs. UMass spread: Spiders -2.5
- Richmond vs. UMass over/under: 142 points
- Richmond vs. UMass money line: Spiders -135, Minutemen +115
- RICH: The Spiders went 2-13 away from home this season, losing their last seven such games
- UMASS: The Minutemen have lost eight of their last nine contests away from home
- Richmond vs. UMass picks: See picks here
Featured Game | Richmond Spiders vs. Massachusetts Minutemen
Why Richmond can cover
The Spiders are led offensively by Tyler Burton, who is averaging 18.6 points and 7.5 rebounds per contest. The senior forward, who has reached double digits in each of Richmond’s 31 games, was third in the conference in scoring and sixth in rebounding during the regular season. Burton is one of three players in program history to record 1,500 points (1,583) and 750 rebounds (807).
Burton led the Spiders with 17 points in the loss to George Mason and posted one of his five double-doubles of the campaign in their 85-76 setback at UMass on Jan. 25, registering 20 points while grabbing 10 rebounds. Senior center Neal Quinn, who is second on the team in scoring (9.4 points), also had a strong game versus the Minutemen as he finished with 19 points, five boards and six assists. Senior forward Isaiah Bigelow came off the bench to record 12 points in that contest and 10 against George Mason.
Why UMass can cover
The Minutemen trailed Richmond by three points in their regular-season meeting before closing with a 12-0 run and ending their three-game losing streak in the all-time series. Freshman guard RJ Luis led UMass in that contest with 23 points along with seven rebounds and five assists while junior forward Matt Cross added 16 points and eight boards. Cross has posted team-leading averages of 12.5 points and 6.2 rebounds in his first season with the Minutemen after spending 2021-22 at Louisville.
Luis recorded 14 points and nine rebounds against St. Bonaventure on Saturday while sophomore guard Rahsool Diggins scored 14 off the bench. UMass has received strong contributions from its reserves as it leads the Atlantic 10 and ranks 13th in the nation with an average of 27.9 bench points. The Minutemen also are excellent on the offensive glass, topping the conference and ranking 14th in the country at 12.9 boards per contest.
How to make Richmond vs. UMass picks
SportsLine’s model is leaning over on the point total, suggesting the teams combine for a total of 143 points. It also says one side of the spread hits in 60% of simulations. You can only get the model’s pick at SportsLine.
So who wins Richmond vs. UMass? And which side of the spread has all the value? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the UMass vs. Richmond spread to jump on, all from the advanced model that is up nearly $1,200 on its top-rated college basketball spread picks, and find out.