A10 foes will battle when the Saint Louis Billikens (10-10, 3-4 A10) meet the VCU Rams (12-8, 4-3 A10) at Chaifetz Arena. Saint Louis opened as a 3-point favorite, while the Over/Under (O/U) for the game has been set at 138.5 points. Action starts at 9 p.m. ET on Tuesday, January 23, 2018, and it can be seen on CBS Sports Network.
VCU Rams at Saint Louis Billikens Free Preview
In the Rams last game, they dismantled the George Washington Colonials, 87-63. With 18 points and eight rebounds, Justin Tillman put together a good outing for VCU. VCU dominated every facet of the game. They had an extraordinary offensive rebounding percentage of 42.9 (above their season average of 30.8) and a turnover percentage of 15.4 (better than their season average of 16.4). George Washington was 21.4 and 22.2, respectively, for those same stats.
The Billikens hope to maintain momentum after thoroughly outplaying the Massachusetts Minutemen in their last contest, 66-47. With 19 points on 8-for-15 shooting, Jordan Goodwin was the top scorer from either team. The Billikens, who came into the game averaging an offensive rebounding percentage of 31.4, had a fantastic mark of 59.3 and had an effective field goal percentage of 0.580 (above their season average of 0.467).
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 NCAA at keeping opponents off the line (ranking 45th by allowing a FTA rate of 0.188).
Of VCU’s 16 games that accepted bets, eight have finished over the projected point total, while 9 of Saint Louis 17 games have finished over the O/U total. The Rams have the superior straight up (SU) record (12-8 vs. 10-10), but the Billikens hold the clear advantage against the spread (ATS) (10-7 vs. 8-8).
This will be the first matchup of the year between these two teams, after the Rams won the lone contest last season, 64-50. The Rams dominated nearly every facet of the game. They had a fantastic offensive rebounding percentage of 33.3 and a superb free throw rate of 0.288. For those same stats, the Billikens put up marks of 17.6 and 0.160, respectively.
VCU Rams vs. Saint Louis Billikens ATS Prediction
Predictions: SU Winner – VCU, ATS Winner – VCU, O/U – Over
Betting Notes:
- The Billikens average 12.8 assists per game, which ranks 181st in the nation. The Rams rank 196th in assists allowed per game (14.8).
- VCU is 2-5 ATS on the road, while Saint Louis is 6-3 ATS at home.
- The Rams have 5 overs and 2 unders in 7 road games.
- Of the Billikens’ 9 home games, they have 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).
Betting Trends:
- Saint Louis is 4-1 ATS with 4 overs and 1 under in their last five games.
- Over their last five games, VCU is 3-2 ATS with 3 overs and 2 unders.
- The Billikens average margin of victory in their last five games has been 5.4, up from 0.5 for the season.
- During their last five games, the Rams have scored an average of 75.2 points per game (2.0 below their season average) and allowed an average of 75.4 points per game (0.8 above their season average).
