Saint Louis vs. Richmond Odds
| Saint Louis Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+3 -110 | 143.5 -110o / -110u | +130 |
| Richmond Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-3 -110 | 143.5 -110o / -110u | -156 |
On Tuesday, Saint Louis and Richmond were both able to shake off blowout losses in their previous games. Saint Louis beat Saint Joseph's 72-61 after falling to Davidson 79-58 last Saturday. The Bilikens improved to 19-9 and 10-5 in the Atlantic-10.
Richmond beat George Washington 84-71 on Tuesday after it lost to rival VCU 77-57 last Friday. It improved to 18-10 and 9-6 in conference. The Spiders have won five of their last seven games.
Saint Louis and Richmond are both out of the mix for the conference regular-season title. The programs are also both on the outside looking in when it comes to securing bids for the NCAA Tournament. However, this will be an important game in determining seeding for the A-10 Men's Basketball Championship. Saint Louis is currently in fifth place in the conference while Richmond is sixth. The Bilikens will also be looking to reach the 20-win milestone here.
Saint Louis won the first meeting of the season 76-69 back on January. It has won 13 of the 21 all-time meetings against Richmond, including six of the last seven.
Will Saint Louis continue to dominate or will Richmond even up the season series on its home floor?
Saint Louis Billikens
In the first meeting, SLU got big performances from its standout guards Yuri Collins and Gibson Jimerson. Collins had 24 points, six rebounds and eight assists on 10-of-17 shooting from the field. Collins was much more aggressive than usual as he averages 11.4 points per game on the year. He does lead the nation in assists per game and needs just eight to break the single-season school record. Jimerson had 16 points in the first meeting, which is on par with his 16.2 points-per-game average.
The Billikens shoot 36.4% from beyond the arc for the year and that number has gone up to 38% in conference play. Jimerson leads the team at 40.6% from while guard Fred Thatch is right behind him at 40% on the nose. Collins is a 38.5% three-point shooter.
Saint Louis is the highest-scoring team in the A-10 at 78.1 points per game. It ranks 56th in adjusted offensive efficiency and 37th in offensive rating. The Billikens are strong on the offensive glass and collect 34.5% of their misses, which is ranks 20th nationally and tops the A-10 in offensive rebounding percentage.
Saint Louis averages 39 rebounds per game, which is 32nd nationally and tops the A-10. It out-rebounds opponents by 6.7 boards per game. The Billikens rebound by committee, as four players average six rebounds per game. Forward Francis Okoro leads the team with 7.6 rebounds in addition to his 10.5 points per game.
Saint Louis is 75th in adjusted defensive efficiency and fifth in the conference. In the first meeting, it held Richmond to 36.9% shooting from the field.
Richmond Spiders
Richmond averages 73.3 points per game and ranks 59th in adjusted offensive efficiency. Forward Tyler Burton leads the team with 16.6 points and 7.4 rebounds per game. He is also a 38.6% shooter from beyond the arc. He had 24 points and 12 rebounds in the first meeting.
Forward Grant Golden averages 14.8 points and 6.4 rebounds. The 6-foot-10 big man is making 59.3% of his two-point attempts, while also averaging 31.1% from deep.
Point guard Jacob Gilyard averages 12.6 points and six assists. He is one of the peskiest defenders in the country and leads the nation with three steals per game. Forward Nathan Cayo averages 8.9 points and is coming off a season-high 19-point performance against George Washington.
Richmond does not collect many of its offensive rebound chances, ranking 311th in offensive rebound percentage (23.1%) and 302nd with 7.9 offensive rebounds per game. It does limit its opponents' possessions by protecting the ball. The Spiders rank 11th nationally in fewest turnovers at 9.5 per game.
The defensive end has been a struggle for Richmond this season as it ranks 143rd in adjusted defensive efficiency. The Spiders are 213rd in effective field goal percentage allowed and 286th in three-point percentage defense.
Saint Louis vs. Richmond Betting Pick
While Saint Louis has had success against Richmond in recent meetings, it has struggled on the road this season in conference play. The Billikens are just 3-4 on the road in conference play compared to 7-1 at home. Saint Louis has lost its last two road games and three out of five overall.
Protecting home court is particularly important this time of year. Richmond's last four games are at home and the Spiders are 10-3 home overall. They are also playing much better this time around. Richmond has won nine of its last 12 games following the 1-3 start to conference play during the stretch it played Saint Louis.
Additionally, it is senior night for Golden, Gilyard and Cayo, among others. I'm expecting a big performance from the Richmond seniors looking to go out with a memorable win. I'll back the Spiders as short home favorites.
Pick: Richmond -2.5
