The Saint Joseph’s Hawks (2-3) and Penn Quakers (5-4) tussle Wednesday at The Palestra in Philadelphia. Tip-off is slated for 8:15 p.m. ET (ESPN+). Below, we analyze Tipico Sportsbook’s lines around the Saint Joseph’s vs. Penn odds, and make our expert college basketball picks, predictions and bets.
The SJU-Penn contest makes for the back half of a Big 5 doubleheader at the historic venue. Philly neighbors Temple and La Salle will play the opener.
Saint Joseph’s is playing its first true road game, and it’s a hometown affair in a familiar building. The Hawks are 2-0 at home and 0-3 across a trio of neutral-site games. SJU’s last game was a neutral-site contest against South Florida on Nov. 22. St. Joe’s was a 2-point favorite, but the Hawks shot 31.4% and lost 75-62.
The Quakers also played on Nov. 22, but they have played 3 games since (Nov. 25, 26 and 27): Pennsylvania played in the inaugural Cathedral Classic, which was at The Palestra, going 3-0 straight-up and 3-0 ATS. The Quakers shot a red-hot 47.8% from beyond the arc, making 11.0 treys per game and winning by an average margin of 15.0 points.
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Saint Joseph’s at Penn odds
Provided by Tipico Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 11:20 a.m. ET.
- Moneyline: Saint Joseph’s +175 (bet $100 to win $175) | Penn -240 (bet $240 to win $100)
- Against the spread (ATS): Saint Joseph’s +5.5 (-115) | Penn -5.5 (-105)
- Over/Under (O/U): 145.5 (O: -105 | U: -115)
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Saint Joseph’s at Penn picks and predictions
Prediction
Penn 75, Saint Joseph’s 71
Moneyline
Too much juice likely obscures the true odds in the middle. PASS.
Against the spread
This match-up features a prominent rust (Saint Joseph’s)-vs.-rest (Penn) angle. The Penn side looks to be a tad overripe: the Quakers were a solid play last week; they are likely being over-bet now.
Mix in some shooting regression of both sides; for an SJU side that shoots a lot of 3s, there is more marginal gain to the Hawks getting a better shooting performance. Saint Joseph’s does well getting to the free-throw line.
In a home-away-from-home game against a likely fatigued Penn, BACK THE HAWKS +5.5 (-115).
Over/Under
This figures as a slightly faster-than-average game and a loose one. However, some other factors, and maybe Penn’s fatigue, swing things the other way. AVOID.
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