Rhode Island vs Dayton Picks and Predictions: Flyers Keep Rams Grounded

The Flyers have been cruising of late and excelling on both ends of the floor, while the Rams have lost their footing. Don't expect the favorites to falter at home, as our Rhode Island vs. Dayton picks explain.

Rohit Ponnaiya - Betting Analyst at Covers.com
Rohit Ponnaiya • Betting Analyst
Jan 28, 2022 • 12:46 ET • 4 min read
Daron Holmes Dayton Flyers college basketball
Photo By - USA TODAY Sports

The Rhode Island Rams face off against the Dayton Flyers in an Atlantic 10 conference clash on Friday night.

The young Flyers have been on a roll and oddsmakers expect them to win tonight, with college basketball betting lines opening with Dayton as a 6-point home favorite.

Here are our best free Rhode Island vs. Dayton college basketball picks and predictions for Friday, January 28.

Rhode Island vs Dayton odds

Odds via the Covers Line, an average comprised of odds from multiple sportsbooks.

This line hit the board with Dayton installed as a 6-point favorite with the Over/Under at 123.5. Early money has come in on the Over, shifting the line to 124, while the spread has stayed at -6 as of noon ET. 

Use the live odds widget above to track any future line movements right up until tip-off and be sure to check out the full college basketball odds before placing your bets.

Rhode Island vs Dayton predictions

Predictions made on 1/28/2022 at 11:50 a.m. ET.
Click on each prediction to jump to the full analysis.

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Rhode Island vs Dayton game info

Location: University of Dayton Arena, Dayton, OH
Date: Friday, January 28, 2022
Tip-off: 7:00 p.m. ET
TV: ESPN2

Rhode Island at Dayton betting preview

Injuries

Rhode Island: Jeremy Sheppard G (Questionable), Allen Betrand G (Out).
Dayton: Elijah Weaver G (Questionable).

Find our latest NCAA basketball injury reports.

Betting trend to know

The Under is 7-0 in Dayton's last seven home games. Find more NCAA betting trends for Rhode Island vs. Dayton.

Rhode Island vs Dayton picks and predictions

Our predictions are compiled from the analysis of the spread and total and are indications of where we are leaning for this game.
Our best bet is the play that we like the most for this game, which we would actually put some of our bankroll behind.

Rhode Island is coming off back-to-back home losses to Richmond and George Washington and now takes to the road looking to improve on a 3-3 record in Atlantic 10 play. 

Dayton is fresh off a 68-63 win against Fordham and is 5-1 SU and 4-2 ATS in its last six games. 

The Flyers came into this season with plenty of new faces and have gotten better with every week as they start to gel with each other. Freshmen DaRon Holmes (11.9 points, 5.9 rebounds, and 2.5 blocks per game) and Malachi Smith (10.9 points and 4.3 assists per game) have been big contributors while Georgia transfer Toumani Camara (10.1 ppg, 6.5 rpg) has been a versatile piece in the frontcourt.  

The Rams have a strong duo of bigs in twins Makhi and Makhel Mitchell, but despite their length, they rank outside the Top-100 teams in the country in rebounding rate, while Dayton ranks 14th. Rhode Island has been very tough on the defensive end of the floor and has shot an impressive 48.2 percent from the field on the season. However, the Rams have shot just 41.7 percent in their last three games, and losing at home to 6-12 George Washington is not a good look.

The Flyers are shooting an efficient 47.6 percent from the floor and have also been locking down defensively, holding opponents to 55.3 ppg on 37.5 FG% in conference play. Expect them to win and cover against a struggling Rhode Island squad.

Prediction: Dayton -6 (-110)

With a total of just 124, this is an extremely low number, but we're still leaning towards the Under. The Flyers have allowed just 55.9 ppg in their last eight games, going 7-1 to the Under in that span.

Meanwhile, the Rams limit foes to a field goal percentage of 37.8, the eighth-best number in the country.

These teams also play at a sluggish tempo, and while they shoot at a high clip from the field, there are still issues offensively. Both schools turn the ball over too much, can't shoot from beyond the arc, and don't hit free throws at a high rate. Take the Under. 

Prediction: Under 124 (-110)

While there is some concern that Dayton plays at such a slow pace that covering six points won't be easy, backing them on the spread still looks like a safe call. The Rams have not looked good lately and will be on the road against a Dayton squad playing very well on both ends of the floor. 

Don't forget that this is a Flyers squad that upset Miami and Kansas on neutral ground earlier this season and could make noise in March. Dayton has also owned the head-to-head in recent years, winning four of the last five meetings between these conference rivals and going 4-1 ATS. Take the Flyers at -6. 

Pick: Dayton -6 (-110)

College basketball parlays

Did you know that if you parlayed our Rhode Island vs. Dayton picks, you could win $26.45 on a $10 bet?

Use our college basketball parlay calculator to create your own parlays and see their potential payouts.

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Betting Analyst

With a background playing soccer, rugby, and boxing, combined with a journalism degree, it's little surprise that Rohit gravitated towards the world of sports betting. He specializes in betting on UFC and college basketball, two sports where the eyeball test can tell you a lot more about matchups than any analytics. Rohit has years of experience handicapping NFL and NBA games as well as niche betting markets such as politics and Oscar odds. He's also the resident CFL expert and formerly hosted "The Chez and Ro Show" with former CFL star Davis Sanchez.

You can catch Rohit breaking down every UFC event with Joe Osborne on "P4P Picks" on the Covers YouTube channel and he also has regular appearances on "Before You Bet" with Joe. In addition, he's a regular guest on "By The Book" on the Monumental Sports Network and makes guest appearances on VSIN's "The Handle" and CBS Sports.

Rohit primarily makes his bets at bet365, which offers a wide variety of prop markets, but also has accounts at several others so he can shop around for the best prices. For Rohit, bankroll management is key. He believes you should never bet what you can't afford to lose and maximize those few betting opportunities where books misprice a line.

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