UMKC Kangaroos vs Saint Louis Billikens Prediction, 12/23/2020 College Basketball Pick, Tips and Odds

Game: UMKC Kangaroos vs Saint Louis Billikens

Date: Wednesday, December 23, 2020

Location: Chaifetz Arena in St. Louis, MO

TV: ESPN+

Odds/Point Spread: UMKC (+21.5)

The UMKC Kangaroos (4-4) head to Chaifetz Arena on Wednesday where they'll meet the Saint Louis Billikens (6-1). Saint Louis opens this matchup as 21.5-point favorites. The total opens at 136.5.

UMKC will play this game with a win-loss mark of 4-4 so far this season. The Kangaroos are shooting 40.9% on three-point shots (56 of 137) and 58.5% from the free throw line. They have an average of 84.8 pts per game (36th in college basketball) while going 56.9% from the floor. They are turning it over 13.3 times per game and as a team they commit 23.0 personal fouls on a nightly basis. As a unit, UMKC is snagging 34.9 boards per contest and has tallied 178 assists so far this season, which is 3rd in college hoops in terms of passing. When they are on defense, the Kangaroos are able to force 18.6 turnovers every game and they draw 17.4 personal fouls. The Kangaroos defensively are giving up a field goal percentage of 38.6% (150 of 389) and they surrender 28.8 rebounds per contest as a squad. They currently rank 211th in D-1 in giving up assists to the opposition with 89 conceded this season. They are giving up 28.8% on shots from beyond the arc and they rank 50th in college basketball in PPG allowed (62.1).

The UMKC Kangaroos played the Kansas Christian College Falcons and went home with a win by a final score of 95-36 in their last contest. UMKC wrapped up the game having earned a 54.4% field goal percentage (37 of 68) and converted 11 out of their 24 shots from distance. At the free throw line, the Kangaroos knocked down 10 of their 14 shots for a rate of 71.4%. When discussing grabbing rebounds, they collected 40 with 14 of them being of the offensive sort. They also doled out 24 dimes in the game while having 13 steals and 5 blocks. When talking about defending, UMKC allowed 54.4% from the floor on 37 out of 68. Kansas Christian totaled 8 assists and 5 steals for the game. On top of that, the Falcons snagged 25 boards (7 offensive, 18 defensive) and got 5 blocked shots. Kansas Christian shot 55.6% from the charity stripe by making 10 of 18 tries. They made 2 out of their 19 tries from beyond the arc.

Kaimen Lennox is a guy who was a contributor for this game. He ended up finishing with 14 points on 6 of 11 shooting. He saw the court for 37 mins and snagged 4 boards. Lennox shot 54.5% from the floor and also recorded 7 assists. An additional guy that came through in this matchup for the Kangaroos was Josiah Allick. He pulled down 13 rebounds and also totaled 3 dimes. He went 60.0% from the field in the game by hitting 9-of-15 (20 points). Overall, Allick saw the court for 23 minutes.

Saint Louis has a mark of 6-1 so far this season. The Billikens commit 19.1 fouls every game and they hit 74.3% from the charity stripe. They are assisting teammates 20.0 times per game (14th in the country) and they are giving up possession 13.0 times per game. Saint Louis has 609 points for the season (87.0 per game) and they grab 38.9 rebounds per game. As an offense, the Billikens are hitting on 51.2% from the field, which is 44th in the country. The Billikens defensively are ranked 123rd in college basketball in PPG given up with 67.1. They have forced 17.6 TO's per game and have allowed teams to shoot 41.3% from the floor (146th in college hoops). The Saint Louis defense surrenders 33.3% on shots from beyond the arc (46 of 138) and their opponents are making 72.7% of their free throw attempts. They have conceded 10.9 assists and 28.0 rebounds on a nightly basis, which ranks them 69th and 6th in those categories.

The last time they took the hardwood, the Saint Louis Billikens walked away from this one with a loss by a score of 90-82 when they played the Minnesota Golden Gophers. The Billikens were able to collect 22 defensive rebounds and 12 offensive rebounds totaling 34 in this matchup. They also blocked 2 shots while recording 8 steals for the game. The Golden Gophers had 20 fouls for the matchup which took the Billikens to the free throw line for a total of 17 tries. They were able to convert 12 of the free throw tries for a rate of 70.6%. With respect to shooting from 3-point land, Saint Louis knocked down 2 out of 15 attempts (13.3%). At the conclusion of this game, the Billikens walked away from this one shooting 34 out of 77 from the floor which gave them a percentage of 44.2%. The Billikens allowed the Golden Gophers to convert 23 of their 48 attempts from the field which had them at 47.9% for the contest. They finished 40.0% from 3-point land by going 10 of 25 and finished the contest at 34 out of 41 from the charity stripe (82.9%). When talking about rebounding, Saint Louis allowed Minnesota to collect 32 in total (5 offensive).

Jordan Goodwin ended up being a factor for the Billikens for this contest. He converted 7 of 17 in this contest giving him a field goal percentage of 41.2%, which earned him 21 points. Goodwin totaled 10 boards in his 36 mins and had 7 dimes in this game. Someone else that ended up coming through for Saint Louis was Javonte Perkins. He ended up finishing with 11 points in 29 minutes played by way of 4 of 12 shooting for this game. Perkins ended up shooting 33.3% from the field as well as contributing 2 assists and 2 boards.

Who will win tonight's college basketball game against the spread?

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take Saint Louis (-21.5)

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