Nine teams in the Atlantic 10 are within two games of each other in the conference standings. Saint Louis and Loyola Chicago are two of them. Both teams will try to gain a little bit of separation when they meet tonight.
The Billikens (14-11, 7-5) are tied with Dayton for third in the league standings and are coming off a heartbreaking loss to George Mason on Tuesday. Isaiah Swope sent the game to overtime with a 3 at the buzzer, but SLU fell short in the 76-74 loss to the top team in the A-10.
The Ramblers (15-9, 6-5) outlasted Richmond 87-80 in overtime in their most recent outing but fell to Duquesne on Saturday. They are tied for fourth in the conference standings.
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Saint Louis at Loyola Chicago Odds
Loyola Chicago is a 2.5-point college basketball odds favorite on BetMGM against Saint Louis while the Over/Under is at 140.5 points.
The Moneyline for Loyola Chicago is at -142 and at +119 for Saint Louis.
Saint Louis at Loyola Chicago On TV
The matchup between Saint Louis at Loyola Chicago will be televised on ESPN2.
Tonight’s game tips off at 7:00 p.m. ET.
Saint Louis at Loyola Chicago Prediction
I predict Saint Louis will cover the 2.5-point spread and might even pick up the road win here. I also predict this game will go under 140.5 points.
After scoring in single figures for three games in a row, SLU big man Robbie Avila finally found his stride again against GMU. Avila finished with 27 points, nine rebounds, and was 5-for-10 from outside.
It was critical that he find his groove because the SLU offense wasn’t the same with him struggling. The Billikens’ offense runs through Avila as he’s able to stretch the floor and knock down those outside shots. It opens up the lane and he’s an excellent passer where he can find cutters. The Billikens shoot 47.5% from the field as a team, which leads the league.
That’ll be key tonight against a Loyola team that has the best rim protector in the A-10 in Miles Rubin. The 6-foot-10 sophomore averages 2.2 blocks per game and lives above the rim. If he’s guarding Avila, he could be sucked out of the lane, opening things up for SLU.
Rubin also often gets into foul trouble, so expect Avila to use his craftiness to try and bait Rubin into some fouls. If he does, the Billikens could have a lot of success in the paint.
SLU will also need to protect the rim against Rubin — who catches a ton of lobs — and against Ramblers guard Des Watson, who loves to get downhill. I don’t know if Avila will be tasked with guarding Rubin, or if it’ll be the more athletic 6-foot-8 Kalu Anya.
Watson, Sheldon Edwards Jr., and Jayden Dawson all average 12 points per game for the Ramblers. Rubin averages 8.5 points and 5.1 rebounds per game. The Billikens are led by Gibson Jimerson, who averages 17 PPG. Avila adds 16.7 points, 6.6 rebounds, and four assists per game while Swope averages 16.3 PPG and 4.7 APG.
Both teams have decent defenses with SLU surrendering 67.3 PPG in conference games while Loyola gives up 71.5 PPG. Both teams score 69 PPG in league play.
These are also the two teams in the conference that turn the ball over the most. Per KenPom, the Billikens turn it over on 20.9% of their possessions while the Ramblers turn it over 20% of the time. Whoever takes better care of the ball and protects the rim will likely win this game.
SLU is 2-5 against the spread as an underdog and Loyola is 5-11 as a favorite. The over is 5-18 for the Billkens and 11-12 for Loyola.
