The Saint Joseph’s Hawks (9-11, 4-4 A10) look to lengthen their five-game home winning streak in a matchup against the Saint Louis Billikens (11-11, 4-5 A10) at Michael J. Hagan ’85 Arena. The game begins at 7 p.m. ET on Wednesday, January 31, 2018.
Saint Joseph’s is a 4-point favorite on the opening line, while the Over/Under (O/U) for the game opened at 134.5 points.
Saint Louis Billikens at Saint Joseph’s Hawks Betting Prediction
The Billikens will be hoping for a similar outcome after beating the Dayton Flyers in their last game, 75-65. Saint Louis’ turnover percentage was their biggest advantage over Dayton. The Billikens had a rate of 7.4 (better than their season average of 16.9), while the Flyers posted a mark of 21.4 (above their season average of 18.1). Saint Louis rallied around Javon Bess, who was the top scorer from either team with 20 points on 7-for-14 shooting.
The last time the Hawks played, they fell to the Penn Quakers, 67-56. Penn’s offensive rebounding percentage was their largest advantage over Saint Joseph’s. The Quakers had a rate of 24.3 (below their season average of 25.6), while the Hawks posted a mark of 16.0 (below their season average of 24.1). With 19 points on 6-for-16 shooting, Shavar Newkirk was the game’s leading scorer.
It will be a showdown of contrasting paces as the fast-breaking Hawks will look to push the slower-paced Billikens. The Hawks rank 65th in possessions per game while the Billikens are 334th. Additionally, the Billikens are among the NCAA’s best at getting to the line, ranking 17th in free throw attempt (FTA) rate (0.302). The Hawks, meanwhile, rank 23rd at keeping opponents off the charity stripe with an opponents’ FTA rate of 0.179.
Saint Louis comes into the game with records of 11-11 straight up (SU) and 11-8 against the spread (ATS). Vegas is known to place the total low when the Billikens are involved, as 11 of their 19 games have gone over the total.
Meanwhile, Saint Joseph’s is 9-11 SU and 9-9 ATS. Much like Saint Louis, Hawks games also tend to finish over the total (55.6 percent).
After the Billikens won the lone contest against the Hawks last season, 61-60, these teams will go head-to-head for the first time this year. Saint Louis had a better turnover percentage (12.8 vs. 16.5). Saint Joseph’s, on the other hand, had a much better free throw rate (0.333 vs. 0.226).
Saint Louis Billikens at Saint Joseph’s Hawks Pick
Pick: SU Winner – Saint Joseph’s, ATS Winner – Saint Louis, O/U – Under
Notes
Betting Notes:
On the road, Saint Louis is 4-4 ATS with 4 overs and 4 unders.
At home, Saint Joseph’s is 5-1 ATS with 4 unders and 2 overs.
Saint Louis ranks 47th in three pointers allowed per game (19.5) while Saint Joseph’s ranks 277th (27.6).
The Billikens rank 59th in rebounds allowed per game (32.5) while the Hawks rank 279th (40.5).
Saint Louis ranks 48th in blocks per game (4.4) while Saint Joseph’s ranks 135th in blocks allowed per game (3.9).
The Hawks are third in the NCAA with 4.1 steals allowed per game while the Billikens are 39th with 5.3 steals allowed per game.
Saint Louis ranks 193rd in assists per game (12.6) while Saint Joseph’s ranks 202nd in assists allowed per game (15.0).
Betting Trends:
In their last five games, Saint Louis is 3-2 ATS with 4 overs and 1 under.
Saint Joseph’s is 3-2 ATS with 5 unders over their last five games.
The Billikens’ average margin of victory in their last five games has been 7.2, up from 0.8 for the season.
During their last five games, the Hawks have scored an average of 68.2 points per game (5.5 below their season average) and allowed an average of 64.0 points per game (9.5 below their season average).
