VCU Rams vs Saint Joseph's Hawks Prediction, 12/30/2020 College Basketball Pick, Tips and Odds

Game: VCU Rams vs Saint Joseph's Hawks

Date: Wednesday, December 30, 2020

Location: Michael J. Hagan '85 Arena in Philadelphia, PA

TV: ESPN+

Odds/Point Spread: VCU (-11)

The VCU Rams (7-2) are headed to Michael J. Hagan '85 Arena on Wednesday where they'll take on the Saint Joseph's Hawks (0-5). VCU opens this contest as 11-point favorites. The total has been set at 155.5.

VCU comes into this matchup with a win-loss mark of 7-2 this year. They have an average of 77.4 points per contest (97th in the country) while shooting 48.0% from the floor. The Rams are hitting 34.2% on three-point attempts (66 of 193) and 76.5% from the charity stripe. As a unit, VCU is pulling down 34.4 rebounds per game and has accounted for 138 dimes for the year, which ranks 40th in college basketball in terms of passing the ball. They lose possession via turnover 15.0 times per game and as a unit are committing 19.6 fouls per game. On the defensive end, the Rams have forced 18.3 turnovers on a nightly basis and they draw 17.7 personal fouls. They rank 234th in college basketball in giving up assists with 103 surrendered on the campaign. The Rams are giving up a field goal percentage of 39.7% (203 of 511) and they relinquish 33.9 rebounds per contest as a group. They are conceding 28.6% on shots from downtown and they are ranked 78th in the country in opponents points per game (64.7).

The VCU Rams faced the James Madison Dukes and walked away with a win by a score of 82-81 in their last game. VCU ended the contest having earned a 45.5% FG percentage (30 of 66) and knocked down 6 of their 22 three-point shots. At the free throw line, the Rams knocked down 16 of 21 attempts for a percentage of 76.2%. When it comes to grabbing rebounds, they collected 37 with 11 of them being on the offensive end. They also doled out 19 assists in this game while having 11 steals and 7 rejections. Pertaining to defense, VCU allowed the other team to shoot 45.5% from the field on 30 of 66 shooting. James Madison recorded 18 assists and had 7 steals for this game. On top of that, the Dukes grabbed 33 rebounds (7 offensive, 26 defensive) and had 7 blocks. James Madison finished shooting 55.6% at the charity stripe by making 15 of their 27 tries. They also made 8 out of their 26 attempts from beyond the perimeter.

Vince Williams is one guy who was a major contributor for the matchup. He ended up with 15 points on 5 out of 10 shooting. He saw the court for 33 mins and snagged 8 boards. Williams ended up going 50.0% from the floor and also earned 3 dimes. Someone else that came through in the game for the Rams was Nah'Shon Hyland. He snagged 2 rebounds and accounted for 2 dimes. He shot 46.2% from the field in the matchup by shooting 6-of-13 (15 points). Overall, Hyland played 27 minutes.

Saint Joseph's has a record of 0-5 this season. As an offense, the Hawks are hitting on 40.8% from the field, which is 297th in the nation. Saint Joseph's has totaled 374 pts for the year (74.8 per game) and they collect 31.4 rebounds per contest. They are getting an assist 14.2 times per contest (146th in the nation) and they are turning it over 14.6 times per game. The Hawks commit 24.2 fouls per contest and they connect on 73.7% from the free throw line. The Hawks on the defensive end are ranked 332nd in the nation in points given up per game with 92.2. They are able to force 13.6 turnovers per game and have allowed teams to shoot 47.8% from the floor (303rd in D-1). The Saint Joseph's defense allows 38.1% on shots from beyond the perimeter (45 of 118) and opponents are converting on 76.3% of their foul shots. They concede 18.8 assists and 44.8 rebounds every game, ranking them 329th and 331st in Division 1.

When they last stepped on the court, the Saint Joseph's Hawks walked away from this one with a loss by a score of 102-66 against the Tennessee Volunteers. The Hawks earned 20 defensive rebounds and 4 offensive rebounds for a total of 24 for the game. They blocked 2 attempts while earning 6 steals in the matchup. The Volunteers earned 22 fouls for the matchup which took the Hawks to the charity stripe for a total of 21 tries. They were able to knock down 15 of them for a percentage of 71.4%. In relation to shots from beyond the perimeter, Saint Joseph's converted 5 of their 24 tries (20.8%). When this game wrapped up, the Hawks went 23 out of 58 from the field which gave them a shooting percentage of 39.7%. The Hawks allowed the Volunteers to bury 31 of their 62 attempts from the floor which gave them a shooting percentage of 50.0% in this contest. They wrapped up this game 41.7% from three-point range by connecting on 10 out of 24 and walked away from this one shooting 30 out of 37 from the free throw line (81.1%). With respect to how they rebounded, Saint Joseph's allowed Tennessee to collect 42 in all (11 offensive).

Ryan Daly ended up being a factor for the Hawks in this matchup. He converted 4 of 11 in this matchup giving him a rate of 36.4%, which gave him 13 points. Daly collected 7 rebounds in his 31 minutes and had 3 dimes for the matchup. Someone else that ended being a contributor for Saint Joseph's was Dahmir Bishop. He finished with 12 points in his 30 minutes played by going 4 of 11 from the floor for this game. Bishop walked away from this one going 36.4% from the field and also totaling 2 assists and 2 boards.

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

Tony Sink's Pick: Take VCU (-11)

Get $60 worth of FREE premium member picks. No Obligation. No Salesman. No Credit Card. Fast Sign up with Instant Access Click Here