Two teams battling for first place in the Atlantic 10 meet when VCU visits Saint Louis on Tuesday.
VCU (16-4, 6-1) is tied for first place in the Atlantic 10 with George Mason (15-5, 6-1). St. Louis (12-8, 5-2) is right behind the co-leaders.
VCU enters the matchup on a six-game win streak. All six wins have come against Atlantic 10 opponents after the Rams lost 77-75 at St. Bonaventure on Dec. 31.
St. Louis is coming off Saturday’s 67-61 loss at George Washington. The Billikens trailed by as many as 16 points but missed a three-pointer that would have tied the score with 17 seconds left. St. Louis shot just 6 for 28 from three-point range (.214) and only attempted seven foul shots, making five.
VCU is coming off Saturday’s 73-61 home victory over Fordham. The Rams outrebounded Fordham, 49-33, including 23-12 on the offensive glass.
This will be the second meeting this year between the two. On Jan. 14, VCU earned a 78-62 home victory over St. Louis. Graduate guard Joe Bamisile scored 23 points to pace the Rams’ win. VCU outrebounded the Billikens, 38-26, including 22-4 on the offensive glass. VCU forced 19 turnovers and scored 27 points off those miscues.
St. Louis is 10-1 at home while VCU is 3-2 on the road.
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VCU at Saint Louis Betting Odds
VCU is a 6.5-point college basketball odds favorite on BetMGM against St. Louis with the Over/Under 142.5.
The moneyline for VCU is -250 while it is +200 for St. Louis.
VCU at Saint Louis On TV
The game between VCU and St. Louis will be televised by CBS Sports Network.
Tipoff is shortly after 8 p.m. ET.
VCU at Saint Louis Prediction
I like VCU laying the points. According to teamrankings.com, VCU is 12-7 against the spread while St. Louis is 6-12. VCU has covered four in a row. St. Louis has failed to cover in three of its last four games.
St. Louis has three of the top eight scorers in the Atlantic 10, yet VCU is the higher-scoring team. The Rams began the week second in the Atlantic 10 in scoring, averaging 77.7 points per game. St. Louis averages 74.5 points.
VCU is also the Atlantic 10’s top defensive team, allowing 62.5 points, which also began the week 12th nationally. St. Louis allows 69 points per game.
The top St. Louis scorers are 6-foot-10 junior Robbie Avila (18.1 PPG), 6-foot-5 redshirt senior Gibson Jimerson (17.2), and 5-foot-10 senior Isaiah Swope (16.7). St. Louis doesn’t have great scoring depth beyond this trio. In the loss to VCU, the trio scored 47 of the Billikens’ 62 points.
Bamisile leads VCU in scoring, averaging 16.7 points. Max Shulga averages 15.3 points and is shooting .395 from three-point range. The Rams are a below-average three-point shooting team (.319). Meanwhile, St. Louis shoots just .339 from deep. VCU shoots .711 from the foul line, while St. Louis just .669.
Shooting should be the key because neither team is exceptional in transition. St. Louis averages 12.6 fast break points per game, while St. Louis averages 9.10.
The other key will be for St. Louis to contain VCU on the offensive glass, something that didn’t happen in the first game. VCU is second in the Atlantic 10 in offensive rebounding, averaging 13.2 per game, while St. Louis averages 8.0, which is second to last.
