Saint Louis Billikens vs UMass Minutemen Prediction, 2/4/2025 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Saint Louis Billikens vs UMass Minutemen

Date: Tuesday, February 4, 2025

Location: Mullins Center in Amherst, MA

TV: ESPN+

The UMass Minutemen (10-12) welcome the Saint Louis Billikens (13-9) at Mullins Center on Tuesday.

The Saint Louis Billikens stepped onto the hardwood against Dayton and took a loss by a final of 71-63 in their last contest. Saint Louis walked away from the game with a 46.9% FG percentage (23 out of 49) and converted 10 of their 26 shots from 3-point land. When they shot from the free throw line, the Billikens knocked down 7 of their 11 attempts for a rate of 63.6%. In reference to rebounding, they collected 28 with 5 of them being of the offensive variety. They also distributed 11 assists for this contest while forcing the other team into 11 turnovers and getting 9 steals. When discussing the defense, Saint Louis allowed their opponent to shoot 41.4% from the floor on 24 out of 58 shooting. Dayton totaled 12 assists and had 13 steals in this contest. Additionally, Dayton pulled down 30 rebounds (10 offensive, 20 defensive), but didn't notch a rejection. Dayton shot 75.0% when shooting free throws by converting 12 of 16 shots. They made 11 of their 28 tries from three-point range. Regarding fouls, the Billikens ended up with 15 and Dayton recorded 14 fouls.

Gibson Jimerson is someone who was a major factor for the contest. He totaled 21 points on 8 out of 14 shooting. He played for 40 mins and also pulled down 2 rebounds. He finished the game shooting 57.1% from the field and earned 1 assist.

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Saint Louis heads into this game with a mark of 13-9 this year. They are giving up possession 13.0 times per contest and as a unit they are committing 15.2 fouls every game. As a unit, Saint Louis is pulling in 35.6 boards per game and has accounted for 332 dimes this season, which ranks 104th in the country in terms of passing the rock. The Billikens are connecting on 34.1% on shots beyond the perimeter (203 of 596) and 67.7% from the charity stripe. They average 74.1 points per outing (197th in D-1) on 47.6% from the field.

Defensively, the Billikens have forced 10.9 turnovers per game and they draw 16.5 personal fouls. They are currently ranked 44th in college hoops in giving up assists to their opponents with 245 surrendered on the campaign. The Billikens defense is giving up an opponent FG percentage of 41.1% (559 of 1,359) and they relinquish 35.2 boards per game as a group. They are conceding 29.9% on shots from distance and they rank 106th in Division 1 in points per game allowed (69.1).

When they last played, the UMass Minutemen got the victory with a final of 62-53 against Duquesne. The Minutemen pulled down 32 defensive rebounds and 10 offensive boards totaling 42 in this matchup. They gave up possession 14 times, while recording 9 steals for the game. Duquesne had 19 personal fouls for the game which took the Minutemen to the free throw line for 19 attempts. They were able to convert 9 of the free throw attempts for a clip of 47.4%. With respect to shots from 3-point land, UMass converted 5 out of 16 attempts (31.3%). When all was said and done, the Minutemen ended up going 24 for 58 from the field which gave them a rate of 41.4%. The Minutemen allowed Duquesne to bury 19 of 60 attempts from the floor which left them with a rate of 31.7% for this contest. They finished 17.4% from distance by shooting 4 of 23 and ended up shooting 11 of 22 at the free throw line (50.0%). When talking about how they rebounded, UMass allowed Duquesne to pull down 32 in all (12 on the offensive glass).

Rahsool Diggins was important for the Minutemen in this matchup. He racked up 32 points in his 37 minutes of playing time, but didn't record an assist. He knocked down 11 of 18 for this game giving him a field goal percentage of 61.1%, and had 4 rebounds.

UMass has a mark of 10-12 for the season. As an offense, the Minutemen are connecting on 42.2% from the field, which ranks 310th in D-1. UMass has accounted for 1,669 points for the season (75.9 per game) and they pull in 40.3 boards per game. They are getting an assist 13.2 times per contest (229th in Division 1) and they cough up possession 12.5 times per contest. The Minutemen have committed 19.5 personal fouls per game and they connect on 66.0% from the charity stripe.

The Minutemen on the defensive end are ranked 282nd in Division 1 in points per game surrendered with 75.2. They are able to force 13.3 TO's every game and have allowed teams to shoot 41.3% from the floor (74th in college). The UMass defense gives up 31.4% on shots from distance (166 of 529) and their opponents are knocking down 72.1% of their shots from the free throw line. They have allowed 14.4 assists and 37.9 boards on a nightly basis, which ranks 286th and 334th in D-1.

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

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take UMass

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