Don’t expect a high-scoring game when the George Washington Colonials (12-2) travel to Saint Louis to play the Billikens (5-8). The game gets underway at 7:00 pm ET on Wednesday, Jan. 6.
The Billikens lost big to Rhode Island 85-57 on Saturday. Miles Reynolds finished with 12 points to lead the team. The Colonials, meanwhile, are coming off a 69-63 win over Fordham on Sunday. Tyler Cavanaugh had a good game, recording 21 points and 10 rebounds to claim his third double-double of the season.
Half-court execution will be at a premium as Saint Louis ranks 289th in the nation in possessions per game (67.3 possessions per game), while George Washington is 292nd (67.2).
Saint Louis is a nine-point underdog in this game and the Over/Under (O/U) is set at 134 points. The Billikens enter the game with records of 5-8 Straight Up (SU) and 1-8 Against The Spread (ATS). They have struggled ATS recently, going 0-8.
Across the court, the Colonials head into the game with records of 5-5-1 ATS and 12-2 SU. George Washington is one of the top foul-shooting teams in the nation, knocking down 18.0 shots from the line per game. The Colonials are one of the top defensive teams on the road, essentially shutting down opponents to the tune of 66.3 points allowed per away game. Teams seem to consistently miss three-point shots against the Colonials, who are the 46th-best team in the country in terms of three-point field goal percentage allowed at .304. Don’t expect George Washington to give away the ball much on offense, where its 11.1 turnovers per game ranks 39th in the country.
This game marks the first time these teams will play this season. The last time these conference rivals played, George Washington won, taking the head-to-head record to an even 5-5 SU over their most recent meetings. The Colonials hold the advantage ATS with a record of 6-4. Neither Saint Louis nor George Washington has led in three key areas (field goals, rebounds, or three-pointers) over their most recent five games.
Predictions: SU Winner – GW, ATS Winner – GW, O/U – Over
Notes
Saint Louis is 0-5 ATS in its last 5 games.
Saint Louis is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games.
Saint Louis is 1-5 SU in its last 6 games at home.
George Washington is a perfect 1-0 SU against conference rivals, while Saint Louis is a winless 0-1 SU against its foes.
Saint Louis scores just 66.8 points per home game (ranked 325th). George Washington ranks 21st in points allowed on the road, giving up 66.3 points.
Ranked 53rd, the George Washington Colonials have an offensive rating of 112.8. The Saint Louis Billikens rank 190th with a defensive rating of just 102.5.
The Saint Louis Billikens average a field goal percentage of 43.2% this season. The George Washington Colonials have a winning 2-1 record in games where opponents have a FG% of 43.2% or greater.
The Saint Louis Billikens and the George Washington Colonials both rank higher in average field goal percentage when compared to their effective field goal percentages. Saint Louis is 250th and 220th in the nation for eFG% and FG% respectively, while George Washington ranks 142nd and 105th in these categories.
George Washington ranks 68th in the nation with an assist-to-turnover ratio of 1.27. Saint Louis is ranked lower at 269th with an A/TO of .90.
Opponents have had an average turnover percentage of 18.5% when playing Saint Louis this season. George Washington is undefeated (4-0) when its TO% is 18.5% or higher.
