Game Information
Saint Louis Billikens (4-0) vs Purdue Fort Wayne Mastodons (2-4)
Time: 7pm CT Friday
How to watch: ESPN+
DraftKings Odds
Spread: SLU -19.5
Total: 167.5
KenPom Projection
SLU 91, Purdue Fort Wayne 71
Billikens Battle Mastodons
The Saint Louis University Billikens wrap up their season-opening five-game homestand tonight when they tip off against the Purdue Fort Wayne Mastodons.
The Billikens have cruised to a 4-0 record with an average margin of victory of 26 points.
SLU Playing Super Fast
SLU has been incredibly entertaining to start the season. The Bills play fast, as their average offensive possession length of 12.9 seconds is the fastest in the nation. They are deep, and they can really shoot the basketball:
2-point field goal percentage - 65.4% (4th in the country)
3-point field goal percentage - 38.5% (50th in the country)
Free throw percentage - 81.4% (19th in the country)
The hot shooting has helped SLU to a 3-1 record against the spread so far this season.
Mastodons Winless Against D1 Opponents
Purdue Fort Wayne comes to town with a 2-4 record, but both of those victories came against non-Division One schools. The Mastodons have a common opponent with SLU, as they lost at Grand Canyon 90-71 in their first game of the year.
Purdue Fort Wayne has also dropped road games at Ohio State, Western Michigan, and most recently at Utah. The Mastodons were competitive in that game against the Utes with a final score of 85-77.
My Lean
This is a bit of a sandwich spot for SLU. The Billikens passed their first big test of the season last Saturday against Grand Canyon, and they have an important game on Thanksgiving night against a quality opponent in Santa Clara. In between, SLU has this game against Purdue Fort Wayne that is expected to be an easy win.
It would not stun me to see SLU fail to bring its best effort defensively, but I expect the Billikens to have plenty of success offensively. The Mastodons are giving up 88 points per game to Division One opponents. Out of 365 teams, Purdue Fort Wayne ranks 343rd in 2-point field goal percentage defense and 358th in three-point field goal percentage defense.
Both teams are 3-1 to the over, and I think we get another one tonight.
Lean: Over 167.5 at -112 on DraftKings
Eric Sontag hosts Domesticated Gamblers every Wednesday night on the STL Sports Central YouTube channel. Follow him on X @GamblingDads, and click here for his daily picks on all of our St. Louis area sports teams. Get Eric's picks for all sports by following him in the Action Network app with the username "esontag". Disclaimer