It will be a battle between A10 opponents when the Saint Louis Billikens (10-10, 3-4 A10) welcome the VCU Rams (12-8, 4-3 A10) to Chaifetz Arena. The game starts at 9 p.m. ET on Tuesday, January 23, 2018, and will air on CBS Sports Network.
The Over/Under (O/U) for the game opened at 138.5 points with Saint Louis set as a 3-point favorite.
VCU Rams at Saint Louis Billikens Betting Prediction
The last time the Rams played, they blew out the George Washington Colonials, 87-63. The Rams had an absurd offensive rebounding percentage of 42.9 (above their season average of 30.8), while the Colonials had a turnover percentage of 22.2 (above their season average of 16.6). VCU was led by Justin Tillman, who contributed 18 points and eight rebounds.
The Billikens won big over the Massachusetts Minutemen in their last game, 66-47. Saint Louis’ 59.3 offensive rebounding percentage was their biggest advantage over Massachusetts, who had a mark of 40.0. The Billikens’ mark was above their season average of 31.4. Jordan Goodwin was the game’s leading scorer with 19 points on 8-for-15 shooting.
Saint Louis does a great job at getting to the charity stripe. They rank 24th in free throw attempt (FTA) rate (0.295), but VCU is among the best in the nation at keeping opponents off the line (ranking 45th by allowing a FTA rate of 0.188).
VCU holds records of 12-8 straight up (SU) and 8-8 against the spread (ATS). Vegas is exceedingly precise when setting the O/U total of Rams games, with an even split between overs and unders.
Meanwhile, Saint Louis owns records of 10-10 SU and 10-7 ATS. Games featuring the Billikens have gone over the total 52.9 percent of the time.
After the Rams won the only game against the Billikens last season, 64-50, these teams will go head-to-head for the first time this year. The Rams had a much better offensive rebounding percentage (33.3 vs. 17.6) and had a much better free throw rate (0.288 vs. 0.160).
VCU Rams vs. Saint Louis Billikens Pick
Predictions: SU Winner – VCU, ATS Winner – VCU, O/U – Over
Notes
Betting Notes:
On the road, VCU is 2-5 ATS with 5 overs and 2 unders.
At home, Saint Louis is 6-3 ATS with 5 overs and 4 unders.
VCU ranks 111th in three pointers attempted per game (23.0) while Saint Louis ranks 249th (17.6).
The Billikens rank 49th in blocks per game (4.4) while the Rams rank 164th (2.5).
Saint Louis ranks 42nd in steals allowed per game (5.3) while VCU ranks 137th (6.8).
The Billikens rank 181st in assists per game (12.8) while the Rams rank 196th in assists allowed per game (14.8).
Betting Trends:
In their last five games, VCU is 3-2 ATS with 3 overs and 2 unders.
Saint Louis is 4-1 ATS with 4 overs and 1 under over their last five games.
The Rams have been outscored by an average of 0.2 points in their last five games. On the season, VCU has defeated opponents by an average of 2.7 points.
During their last five games, the Billikens have scored an average of 71.4 points per game (5.3 above their season average) and allowed an average of 66.0 points per game (0.3 above their season average).
