-
Jeremy Perry
Richmond vs. Providence Bracket Prediction: March Madness Odds
The Richmond Spiders pulled off the classic 12-over-5 seed upset at the NCAA Tournament on Thursday. At least one No. 12 seed knocks off a No. 5 seed in nearly every NCAA Tournament, and on Day 1, Richmond joined New Mexico State as a 12 seed to end a 5 seed’s season. Richmond now goes up against Providence, who fought off a popular upset bid by South Dakota State. It is fascinating to see how Providence moves through this tournament, and how people do or don’t change in their perceptions of the Friars.
Providence is a 3-point favourite to win on the NBA odds, with a total of 134.5.
Richmond vs. Providence NCAA Tournament Point Spread and Betting
Richmond has now managed to cover in four straight games overall and four straight as an underdog. They surprised a lot of people with their performance against Iowa in their opener. The under is 3-0-1 in their last four NCAA Tournament games.
As for Providence, they have done well against winning teams. They’re 21-6 ATS in their last 27 when facing a team with a winning record above .600. However, they are just 1-8 ATS in their last nine as a favourite in a neutral site contest.
Richmond Spiders (12)
Richmond has four seniors in its starting lineup, and their veteran poise showed against Iowa. Richmond led by six points, 34-28, early in the second half, and was largely dictating the flow of the game. Then Iowa hit Richmond with an 11-0 run to take a 39-34 lead. It seemed for a brief time that the game was getting away from Richmond. However, the Spiders bounced back with an 11-0 run of their own for a 45-39 lead. The Spiders did a great job of defending Iowa star Keegan Murray, who was unable to get comfortable down the stretch.
Richmond was not a consistently good team during the regular season, but the Spiders have gotten hot at tournament time and are locked in on every task. They are very cohesive and in rhythm on both offence and defence, especially defence. They are a very tough out right now.
Providence Friars (4)
The Friars dominated South Dakota State most of the way before allowing a late rally. They had a lead of 14 points which was reduced to one possession. So many other teams might have crumbled, but Providence stayed the course. The Friars have lost two close games to Villanova this season, but they have rarely lost close games to any non-Villanova team.
Providence has won 12 games decided by five points or fewer, and is 3-0 in overtime games. The final margin of the South Dakota State game was nine points, but it was still a close game late. This team once again showed that when the score gets tight in the final minutes, it has the right stuff. That track record deserves to be trusted.
