Saint Louis Billikens vs Rhode Island Rams Prediction, 3/2/2024 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Saint Louis Billikens vs Rhode Island Rams

Date: Saturday, March 2, 2024

Location: Ryan Center in Kingston, RI

TV: ESPN+

The Rhode Island Rams (11-17) host the Saint Louis Billikens (10-18) at Ryan Center on Saturday.

The Saint Louis Billikens faced off with Richmond and ended up losing by a score of 80-64 in their last game. When talking about fouls, the Billikens ended up finishing with 10 while Richmond accounted for 13 fouls. They buried 11 out of their 19 tries from distance. Richmond shot 77.8% from the free throw line by burying 7 of their 9 shots. In addition, Richmond pulled down 30 rebounds (4 offensive, 26 defensive), but wrapped up the game with no rejections. Richmond recorded 19 assists and had 9 steals in the matchup. In terms of defense, Saint Louis allowed the other team to shoot 51.7% from the floor on 31 out of 60 shooting. They also distributed 16 dimes in this contest while forcing the other team into 9 turnovers and earning 6 steals. In reference to grabbing boards, they compiled 34 with 11 of them being on the offensive end. At the free throw line, the Billikens knocked down 11 of their 14 attempts for a rate of 78.6%. Saint Louis ended having earned a 37.7% FG percentage (23 of 61) and buried 7 out of their 20 three-point shots.

Gibson Jimerson is a guy who came through in this game. He finished the game shooting 46.7% from the field and earned 1 assist. He saw the court for 35 mins played and totaled 1 board. He scored 21 points on 7 out of 15 shooting.

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Saint Louis comes into this matchup with a win-loss mark of 10-18 so far this season. They have an average of 74.1 points per outing (167th in D-1) while shooting 44.4% from the floor. The Billikens are hitting 36.9% on shots from downtown (219 of 594) and 74.5% from the charity stripe. As a unit, Saint Louis is snagging 33.8 rebounds per contest and has tallied 350 dimes on the year, which is 252nd in Division 1 in terms of passing the rock. They are losing possession via turnover 12.1 times per game and as a team are committing 18.1 personal fouls per game.

On defense, the Billikens have forced 10.2 turnovers on a nightly basis while drawing 17.7 fouls. They concede 35.4% on three-point shots while they are 339th in college hoops in points per game allowed (78.9). The Billikens are giving up a FG percentage of 45.6% (763 of 1,674) and they concede 35.5 rebounds per game as a basketball team. They are ranked 243rd in college basketball in allowing assists to the opposition with 381 surrendered on the season.

The last time they took the hardwood, the Rhode Island Rams went home defeated by a final of 88-67 when they faced VCU. In relation to how they attacked the glass, Rhode Island permitted VCU to grab 36 in all (10 on the offensive side). They went 34.5% from three-point range by going 10 of 29 and ended up shooting 18 out of 21 from the free throw line (85.7%). The Rams permitted VCU to make 30 out of 62 attempts from the field which gave them a percentage of 48.4% for the contest. Overall, the Rams shot 22 out of 53 from the floor which gave them a rate of 41.5%. When it comes to three-point attempts, Rhode Island knocked down 9 out of their 28 tries (32.1%). They were able to make 14 of them for a rate of 77.8%. VCU committed 17 personal fouls for the game which took the Rams to the charity stripe for 18 attempts. They also turned it over 15 times, while getting 4 steals in this contest. The Rams were able to collect 18 defensive rebounds and 6 offensive boards totaling 24 in the matchup.

David Green was important for the Rams for this contest. He knocked down 5 of 12 for the matchup for a field goal rate of 41.7%, and had 3 rebounds. He earned 16 points in his 25 mins on the hardwood, but wasn't able to earn an assist.

Rhode Island has a mark of 11-17 this season. The Rams commit 16.9 fouls every game and they hit 64.6% from the charity stripe. Their rate of assisting teammates is at 13.2 times per game (176th in college hoops) and they lose possession via turnover 12.6 times per game. Rhode Island has accounted for 2,051 pts this season (73.3 per game) and they collect 36.8 rebounds per game. As an offensive unit, the Rams are hitting on 46.4% from the floor, which ranks 87th in Division 1.

The Rams on the defensive side of the court are 314th in Division 1 in points allowed per contest with 77.0. They are forcing their opponents into 9.2 TO's per game and have allowed teams to shoot 45.6% from the field (305th in the nation). The Rhode Island defense allows 36.0% on shots from beyond the perimeter (244 of 678) and their opponents are knocking down 66.4% of their shots from the free throw line. They have relinquished 14.8 dimes and 34.3 rebounds on a nightly basis, which is 319th and 156th in those categories on the defensive end.

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

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take Rhode Island

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