Playing in its second straight NCAA tournament, Georgia takes on Saint Louis in a Round of 64 game on Thursday in Buffalo. Saint Louis (28-5) is making its first NCAA appearance since 2019.
Georgia (22-10) lost its first SEC tournament game to Mississippi, 76-72, last Thursday in Nashville. Seeded No. 7, Georgia’s poor free-throw and three-point shooting led to the loss. From the foul line, Ole Miss shot 13-of-18 (.725), while Georgia was 15-of-25 (.600). Ole Miss was 9-of-20 from three-point range, while Georgia shot just 9-of-38 (.237).
Before the loss, Georgia had been playing well, having won three in a row. Overall, Georgia enters the tournament 5-2 in its last seven games. Included among the five wins were victories over NCAA teams Kentucky, Texas, and Alabama.
Saint Louis was the top seed in the Atlantic 10 Tournament after earning a share of the regular-season conference title. The Billikens lost 70-69 to Dayton in an Atlantic 10 semifinal on Saturday. Dayton had a 19-9 edge in points off turnovers. Saint Louis, which has tied a single-season school record for wins, hasn’t played well down the stretch, going 4-4 in its last eight games.
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Georgia vs. Saint Louis Odds
As of this writing, Georgia is a 2.5-point college basketball betting odds favorite on BetMGM.
The Over/Under is 169.5 points.
Georgia vs. Saint Louis On TV
Tipoff for Thursday’s Georgia vs. Saint Louis is expected to occur shortly after 9:45 p.m. ET.
The game will be televised on CBS.
Georgia vs. Saint Louis Prediction
I like Georgia to cover. The Bulldogs have competed against a more difficult schedule, and they are also playing better heading into the tournament than Saint Louis.
As the Over/Under suggests, this has the potential to be a high-scoring game. Both teams like to play an up-tempo style. Georgia is 16th nationally with an adjusted tempo of 71.4, according to KenPom. Adjusted tempo is possessions per 40 minutes. Saint Louis isn’t far behind with an adjusted tempo of 71.0, which is 21st nationally.
The Billikens are averaging 87.2 points, which is 10th nationally, while allowing 69.52. Georgia averages 89.81 points, which is fifth nationally, and allows 79.1.
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Georgia’s leading scorer is 6-foot-1 sophomore Jeremiah Wilkinson, who averages 17.0 points per game and shoots .350 from deep. Blue Cain, a 6-foot-5 junior, averages 13.3 points and 5.1 rebounds, while 6-foot-9 sophomore Kanon Catchings averages 12.0 points and 4.8 rebounds.
Saint Louis 6-foot-10 senior Robbie Avila leads the Billikens in scoring (12.9 PPG) and assists (4.0). He is also shooting .416 from three-point range.
This is a balanced Saint Louis team with seven players averaging between 9.1 and 12.9 points.
One thing to look for is three-point shooting. Saint Louis is elite from beyond the arc, shooting .401, which is second nationally. Georgia shoots .341 from deep, while defending at a .337 clip. St. Louis also defends the three at a high level (.294), which is fifth nationally.
Both teams are nearly the same in free-throw shooting, with Georgia at .754 and Saint Louis at .744.
One last stat that could be key and favors Georgia is in the turnover department. Georgia is second in the SEC in turnover margin (3.09). Meanwhile, Saint Louis is 12th in the Atlantic 10 at -0.79.
