This is a 10* on DAVIDSON

The Atlantic 10 is not as strong as it's been in the past. With the exception of Dayton, who looks like they'll be running away with things, there's no surefire bet to make the NCAA Tournament from this conference. That's what makes tonight's game between Richmond and Davidson so critical for the teams involved. There's a void to be filled and if either of these teams can get hot, there's a possibility they go dancing. You've probably noticed that the team with the 7-8 SU record is favored over the one that's 12-4. While that's partly due to home court advantage, the favoritism should also tell you all you need to know about Richmond's record. The Spiders just lost at home by 16 points to St. Louis as 5.5-point favorites. There's no sugarcoating what a bad loss that is. Davidson is off to its own disappointing start in conference play (1-2 SU/0-3 ATS), but did win Saturday against St. Joseph's. The previous three games, all losses, were played on the road. The Wildcats have played only four home games so far, won them all, and averaged 88.7 points/game in them. Richmond's leading scorer Blake Francis is listed as doubtful for this game due to a shoulder injury he sustained in the loss to St. Louis. That and the fact that Davidson is finally back home have us laying the points in this one. 10* DAVIDSON

AAA