Game Information
Saint Louis Billikens (16-12, 9-6 Atlantic 10) vs Loyola Chicago Ramblers (19-9, 10-5 Atlantic 10)
Time: 3pm CST Saturday
How to watch: CBS Sports Network
DraftKings Odds
Spread: SLU -2.5
Total: 139.5
KenPom projection: SLU 72, Loyola 68
Billikens, ‘Blers Continue Battle For Double Bye
The Saint Louis University Billikens’ quest for a double-bye in the Atlantic 10 Conference Tournament continues when they host Loyola Chicago on Saturday.
There are four teams battling for the final two double-byes. Loyola has the edge for the first spot with a 10-5 league record, while SLU, Dayton, and St. Joseph’s are all tied one game behind at 9-6.
Billikens Need To Protect Home Court
The Billikens hold the tiebreaker over St. Joseph’s, and if they win this game on Saturday, they’ll have the tiebreaker over Loyola as well before playing at Dayton on Tuesday. So SLU needs to protect home court against a team it lost to just a couple weeks ago.
The Billikens fell at Loyola 78-69 on February 14th in a game that was tied with four minutes remaining. The Ramblers shot 12-of-24 (50%) from three-point range in that contest, marking the second victory during Loyola’s current five-game winning streak.
Loyola Due For Regression?
The Ramblers have scored over their season average in every one of those five victories during this winning streak. They have shot over 40% from three-point range during this stretch and have shot over 50% from the field in each of their last two games.
Loyola’s defense has also been fantastic over the last ten games in particular. Only one opponent has gotten to the 70 point mark in regulation against the Ramblers during that time.
My Lean
I think the regression monster is coming for Loyola’s offense. The Ramblers have been playing over their heads offensively lately, and now they come up against a SLU defense that ranks second in the A10 in effective field goal percentage and first in the A10 in three-point percentage.
But I don’t have confidence that the Billikens are going to be able to crack the 70 point mark. The under is now a ridiculous 20-6 in SLU’s games against Division One opponents this season, and I have a feeling we get another one here.
This is just a lean for me and not a bet, as I told myself I want at least a total of 140 to fire a wager on the under. At the current total of 139.5, it falls just short of making my Saturday card.
Lean: Under 139.5 on DraftKings
Eric Sontag hosts Domesticated Gamblers every Friday on the Sports Hub STL YouTube channel. Click here for his daily picks on all of our St. Louis area sports teams. Disclaimer