VCU Rams vs Saint Louis Billikens Prediction, 3/5/2022 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: VCU Rams vs Saint Louis Billikens

Date: Saturday, March 5, 2022

Location: Chaifetz Arena in St. Louis, MO

TV: ESPN2

Chaifetz Arena is where the Saint Louis Billikens (20-10) will try to defeat the VCU Rams (21-7) on Saturday.

The VCU Rams took the court against St. Bonaventure and walked away with a win by a score of 74-51 in their last game. VCU finished the game having earned a 50.9% field goal percentage (27 out of 53) and converted 4 of their 17 3-point shots. From the free throw line, the Rams knocked down 16 of their 20 shots for a rate of 80.0%. When discussing grabbing rebounds, they earned a total of 39 with 8 of them being on the offensive end. They also dished out 18 assists for the matchup while creating 16 turnovers and earning 8 steals. When it comes to defending, VCU allowed the other team to shoot 32.7% from the field on 18 of 55 shooting. St. Bonaventure earned 11 dimes and had 14 steals in the game. Furthermore, St. Bonaventure collected 25 boards (6 offensive, 19 defensive), but finished the game with no rejections. St. Bonaventure finished the game at 60.0% from the charity stripe by knocking down 12 of their 20 attempts. They converted 3 of 16 shots from three-point range. In regard to fouls, the Rams ended up finishing with 16 and St. Bonaventure totaled 14 fouls.

KeShawn Curry is a player who played a role in this game. He finished shooting 71.4% from the floor and dished out 2 dimes. He played for 28 mins and grabbed 6 rebounds. He accounted for 14 points on 5 out of 7 shooting.

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VCU heads into this matchup with a win-loss record of 21-7 so far this season. They currently have an average of 66.2 points per game (298th in D-1) while shooting 45.8% from the field. The Rams are connecting on 34.8% on 3-point shots (155 of 445) and 69.1% from the free throw line. As a team, VCU is snagging 32.8 boards per game and has accounted for 397 assists on the season, which has them ranked 150th in college hoops in terms of passing the rock. They lose possession via turnover 15.1 times per contest and as a unit are committing 18.4 fouls on a nightly basis.

Defensively, the Rams are able to force 17.5 turnovers on a nightly basis while drawing 17.2 personal fouls. They are surrendering 26.4% on shots from distance and they rank 13th in D-1 in PPG allowed (60.5). The Rams defense is allowing a FG percentage of 38.6% (583 of 1,510) and they surrender 34.9 rebounds per game as a unit. They rank 53rd in college hoops in allowing assists to the opposition with 314 surrendered on the year.

The last time they took the hardwood, the Saint Louis Billikens walked away with a victory by a final of 80-74 against Rhode Island. The Billikens earned 28 defensive boards and 10 offensive rebounds for a total of 38 for the contest. They coughed up the ball 9 times, while earning 8 steals in the matchup. Rhode Island committed 20 fouls for this contest which got the Billikens to the free throw line for 24 attempts. They were able to knock down 15 of them for a rate of 62.5%. When it comes to 3-point shots, Saint Louis made 9 of their 19 attempts (47.4%). When the game finished, the Billikens ended up going 28 for 63 from the floor which gave them a rate of 44.4%. The Billikens permitted Rhode Island to convert 29 of 63 tries from the floor which had them shooting 46.0% for the contest. They finished the game shooting 37.5% from three-point range by going 6 of 16 and finished the game at 10 of 22 at the free throw line (45.5%). Concerning rebounds, Saint Louis allowed Rhode Island to get 39 overall (12 on the offensive glass).

Fred Thatch ended up being a factor for the Billikens for the contest. He made 8 out of 17 for this game giving him a field goal percentage of 47.1%, and accumulated 13 rebounds. He accumulated 21 points in his 38 minutes of playing time and tallied 1 assist for the matchup.

Saint Louis has a record of 20-10 on the campaign. The Billikens commit 18.2 personal fouls every game and they hit 76.3% from the charity stripe. They are getting an assist 14.9 times per game (59th in the nation) and they cough up possession 12.7 times per contest. Saint Louis has scored 2,332 pts on the campaign (77.7 per contest) and they pull in 38.8 rebounds per game. On the offensive side of the court, the Billikens are hitting on 46.3% from the field, which is 67th in the country.

The Billikens on the defensive side of the court are 145th in Division 1 in points given up per game with 68.0. They have forced 13.1 TO's every game and have allowed teams to shoot 42.0% from the field (115th in Division 1). The Saint Louis defense concedes 32.2% on shots from beyond the arc (194 of 603) and their opponents are connecting on 66.7% of their free throw shots. They have conceded 11.3 assists and 32.3 total rebounds per game, which ranks them 72nd and 71st in those defensive categories.

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

Josh Schonwald's Pick: Take VCU

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