VCU at Saint Louis odds, picks and predictions

Analyzing Friday’s VCU at Saint Louis odds and lines, with college basketball expert picks, predictions and best bets.

The VCU Rams (17-6, 8-2 Atlantic 10) visit the Saint Louis Billikens (15-7, 7-2) on Friday with tip from Chaifetz Arena set for 7 p.m. ET (ESPN2). Below, we analyze Tipico Sportsbook’s lines around the VCU vs. Saint Louis odds, and make our expert college basketball picks, predictions and bets.

VCU took down Davidson 61-59 on Tuesday, but failed to cover as 4-point road favorites and has not covered in 2 straight games. VCU is 6-2 against the spread (ATS) in the last 8 games and is 9-12-2 ATS this season. The Rams’ defense has been outstanding, holding opponents to 63.2 points per game (tied for 29th-best in the nation).

The Billikens fell 75-65 to Fordham on Tuesday and failed to cover as 4-point road favorites. The loss broke a 6-game winning streak for them. The Billikens are 3-2 ATS in their last 5 and 4-6 ATS in their last 10 to fall to 10-11 ATS on the season. Saint Louis’ strength is its defense where it holds opponents to just 40.2% shooting from the field (35th).

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VCU at Saint Louis odds

Provided by Tipico Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 10:41 a.m. ET.

  • Moneyline (ML): VCU +122 (bet $100 to win $122) | Saint Louis -155 (bet $155 to win $100)
  • Against the spread (ATS): VCU +2.5 (-105) | Saint Louis -2.5 (-115)
  • Over/Under (O/U): 141.5 (O: -105 | U: -115)

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VCU at Saint Louis picks and predictions

Prediction

Saint Louis 65, VCU 63

Moneyline

BET SAINT LOUIS (-155).

Saint Louis has played well at home this season with a 10-2 home record while 3 of VCU’s 6 losses have come on the road. While both teams have had an impressive 10-game stretch, the home-court advantage will prove to be too much for VCU on Friday.

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Against the spread

LEAN VCU +2.5 (-105).

VCU should be expected to keep this game close. The Rams are 6-2 ATS in their last 8 games, 5-1 ATS in their last 6 games following an outright win, and 5-0 ATS in their last 5 games against a team with a winning straight up record.

On the other hand, the Billikens are 0-4 ATS in their last 4 game against a team with a winning percentage of .600 or higher and only 1-4 ATS in their last 5 games against a team with a winning straight up record.

The underdog is also 5-1 ATS in the last 6 meetings between these 2 programs.

While Saint Louis should take this game, VCU +2.5 (-105) is worth a play.

Over/Under

BET UNDER 141.5 (-115).

The Under is 5-1 in the Rams last 6 games overall and 4-1 in their last 5 games following a straight up win.

For Saint Louis, the Under is 5-0 in its last 5 Friday games and the Under is 10-3 in its last 13 games against a team with a winning straight up record.

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