The Saint Louis Billikens take on the Grand Canyon Antelopes in Phoenix, AZ. Tip-off is set for 4 p.m. ET on ESPN+.
Grand Canyon is favored by 8.5 points on the spread with a moneyline of -385. The total is set at 155.5 points.
Here are my Saint Louis vs. Grand Canyon predictions and college basketball picks for December 22, 2024.
Saint Louis vs Grand Canyon Prediction
My Pick: Grand Canyon -8.5 (Play to -9)
My Saint Louis vs Grand Canyon best bet is on the Antelopes spread, with the best odds currently available at FanDuel. For all of your college basketball bets, be sure to find the best lines by using our live NCAAB odds page.
Saint Louis vs Grand Canyon Odds
| Saint Louis Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+8.5 -110 | 155.5 -115 / -105 | +300 |
| Grand Canyon Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-8.5 -110 | 155.5 -115 / -105 | -385 |
- Saint Louis vs Grand Canyon spread: Grand Canyon -8.5
- Saint Louis vs Grand Canyon over/under: 155.5 points
- Saint Louis vs Grand Canyon moneyline: Grand Canyon -385, Saint Louis +300
- Saint Louis vs Grand Canyon best bet: Grand Canyon -8.5 (Play to -9)
Spread
I'm taking the Lopes on the spread up to 10.
Moneyline
There is no value on the moneyline.
Over/Under
There is no value on the total.
My Pick: Grand Canyon -8.5 (Play to -9)
Saint Louis vs Grand Canyon College Basketball Betting Preview
Saint Louis isn’t the team many had hoped it would be this preseason. The Billikens have dropped 56 spots in KenPom from the start of the year due to a combination of injuries and matador defense.
Head coach Josh Schertz has been forced to use five different starting lineups in 11 games, as six key players have either missed games, are still out or have left the program. It’s grim.
Grand Canyon, too, has struggled to live up to lofty preseason expectations, primarily due to the bizarre fall-off of star player Tyon Grant-Foster. After a near-All-American season, TGF has a sub-84 offensive rating (that is putrid) and has shot just 43% from 2 and 13% from 3.
Without his production, the Lopes are suddenly mortal.
Saint Louis’ offense hasn’t been the problem – the Billikens are still top-100 on this end, move the ball with purpose, cut off the ball at a high level and can shoot the lights out on any given night.
The Lopes’ middle is vulnerable – they rank 360th nationally in field goal attempt rate allowed at the rim. Saint Louis can attack the bucket with its cutting and kick to shooters when the defense collapses. The Billikens should be able to put points on the board.
The Billikens can’t stop anything – they severely lack depth and athleticism and have a complete inability to put pressure on the ball. If there’s any time for Grant-Foster to get right and rediscover his offense, it’s this game.
The Grand Canyon atmosphere — with one of the best student sections in the country — should only help his potential resurgence.
The market has bet on Saint Louis all season, refusing to believe the Billikens can be this bad, but it might finally be time to give up the dream.
Grand Canyon will be no bargain on Sunday, but perhaps the market will try one last time to back the Bills.
As good as Schertz and Robbie Avila are, this team just doesn’t have the defensive fortitude to be trusted right now. A-10 play should be the target to hop back on the Bills' bandwagon, but not in a tough road spot right before the holidays.
