Atlantic 10 foes will collide when the Massachusetts Minutemen (8-9) challenge the Saint Louis Billikens (7-11) at William D. Mullins Center. Action begins at 12:00 pm ET on Saturday, Jan. 23.
The Minutemen are hoping to rebound after their 86-74 loss to Davidson in their last matchup. Trey Davis was the team’s leading scorer with 30 points. The Billikens, meanwhile, are coming off a 96-87 win against that same Davidson squad in their last game. Jermaine Bishop had a good game for Saint Louis, registering 23 points, six rebounds, and six assists.
Massachusetts is a seven-point favorite against Saint Louis and the Over/Under (O/U) for this game is sitting at 149 points. The Minutemen come into this game 8-9 Straight Up (SU) and 3-7-1 Against The Spread (ATS). Over their last 10 games, they have only managed a record of 1-5-1 ATS.
As for their opponent, the Billikens have records of 3-11 ATS and 7-11 SU. Saint Louis has not performed well ATS during its last 10 games, earning a 2-8 record. The Billikens average 71.4 points allowed per game, but have damaged those numbers in the past 10 games, allowing 77.7 points per game during that span.
This game marks the season’s first head-to-head clash between these conference foes. Their previous game was a Minutemen victory, but the win was not enough for them to overtake Saint Louis in their recent head-to-head series. Their record is now 3-7 SU over the last few meetings. The Billikens also lead the matchup ATS with a record of 6-4. Neither team held the edge in field goals, rebounds, or three-pointers in a single game during this span.
Predictions: SU Winner – UMass, ATS Winner – UMass, O/U – Over
Notes
Massachusetts is 1-3-1 ATS in its last 5 games.
Massachusetts is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games.
Massachusetts is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games at home.
Massachusetts is 4-9 ATS in its last 13 games when playing Saint Louis.
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Massachusetts’s last 6 games when playing Saint Louis.
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Massachusetts’s last 7 games when playing at home against Saint Louis.
Massachusetts averages 77.2 points per game (ranked 96th). Saint Louis, on the other hand, allows 71.4 points per game (ranked 174th).
The Massachusetts Minutemen average 72.8 possessions and 1.061 points per possession in games this season. The Saint Louis Billikens average fewer possessions with 68.4, as well as fewer points per possession with .974.
Massachusetts has an average effective field goal percentage of 50.5%. Saint Louis is an underachieving 2-8 when opponents have a similar or higher effective field goal percentage.
The Massachusetts Minutemen average 22.0 three point attempts per game, while the Saint Louis Billikens attempt 17.0. When attempting 20 or more three pointers in a game, both teams have split records; Massachusetts is 5-5 and Saint Louis is 3-3.
On average, Saint Louis forces a turnover rate of 19.0%. When Massachusetts turns over the ball at a similar or higher rate, the team has a solid 4-2 record.
