by Chuck Sommers
Thursday, Jan 26, 2023
Time: 7 p.m. ET
Venue: John M. Belk Arena, Davidson, NC
Where to watch: ESPN2
Opening Odds at USA Sportsbooks
DraftKings: Saint Louis -1
FanDuel: Saint Louis -1.5
BetMGM: NL
Caesars: Saint Louis -1
Season record
Saint Louis: 14-6 (6-1 Atlantic 10)
Davidson: 10-10 (3-5 Atlantic 10)
We’re nearing the halfway mark of the college basketball season and it’s been quite the ride so far. Will Rogers is going hard in the last 30 days with a 16-10-1 run, while Kyle Hunter has also had a strong run of form as of late at 28-24-0 (+$1,700). If they’ve been killing it as much as they were in the first half, what does the second half have in store? The only way you’re going to find out is by staying locked on bigal.com and following what our champion handicappers are up to heading into the second half. Trust us, you want to know.
Saint Louis - Davidson preview, prediction and analysis
Recent form
Saint Louis: won 84-71 vs. La Salle
Davidson: won 64-57 at La Salle
The Saint Louis Billikens will look for their sixth straight victory and continue their run atop the Atlantic 10 Conference when they hit the road to take on the Davidson Wildcats on Friday in North Carolina.
Saint Louis is coming off a 84-71 win over the La Salle Explorers at home last Saturday. Sincere Parker led the way with 20 points off the bench in 22 minutes, while Yuri Collins had 17 points and 11 assists to help pace the Saint Louis offense. Those two were a part of five different players reaching double figures as they shot 48.4% from the floor.
For Saint Louis, this is all about keeping track with the VCU Rams. It’s a four-way race in the Atlantic 10, with VCU as the clear-cut frontrunners. Saint Louis sits a half game behind the Rams, with the George Washington Colonials following suit. Thanks to the Dayton Flyers losing two in a row, and those three teams on winning streaks, it’s made things interesting as of late.
While Saint Louis has done well in this winning streak, which includes a win over George Washington, the Billikens are only 3-2 against the spread in the last 5. The over has also been a major play as of late, but the under has been seen in three of the last five.
Davidson also did the thing this week against La Salle, this time with a 64-57 win over the Explorers on Jan. 24. The good news is that ended a four-game losing streak for the Wildcats, led by a game-high 27 points and 11 rebounds from Sam Mennenga. Foster Loyer also had 12 points on 4 of 17 shooting because why not? And David Skogman also had 11 points for the 8-man Wildcats on this day.
While the Wildcats haven’t been great on the court, they have covered in their last three, including as 6.5-point favorites over La Salle. Yes, if you do the math, they covered by a half point, but sometimes all you need is horseshoes and hand grenades to make something happen in the betting world.
Prediction
Davidson is too far against the ropes right now for me to believe in them. The ghost of Steph Curry isn’t walking through that door. The insane thing? Davidson has won six of the last seven outright. That’s changing this time around. Saint Louis 79, Davidson 75
The Saint Louis Billikens will look for their sixth straight victory and continue their run atop the Atlantic 10 Conference when they hit the road to take on the Davidson Wildcats on Friday in North Carolina.
Saint Louis is coming off a 84-71 win over the La Salle Explorers at home last Saturday. Sincere Parker led the way with 20 points off the bench in 22 minutes, while Yuri Collins had 17 points and 11 assists to help pace the Saint Louis offense. Those two were a part of five different players reaching double figures as they shot 48.4% from the floor.
For Saint Louis, this is all about keeping track with the VCU Rams. It’s a four-way race in the Atlantic 10, with VCU as the clear-cut frontrunners. Saint Louis sits a half game behind the Rams, with the George Washington Colonials following suit. Thanks to the Dayton Flyers losing two in a row, and those three teams on winning streaks, it’s made things interesting as of late.
While Saint Louis has done well in this winning streak, which includes a win over George Washington, the Billikens are only 3-2 against the spread in the last 5. The over has also been a major play as of late, but the under has been seen in three of the last five.
Davidson also did the thing this week against La Salle, this time with a 64-57 win over the Explorers on Jan. 24. The good news is that ended a four-game losing streak for the Wildcats, led by a game-high 27 points and 11 rebounds from Sam Mennenga. Foster Loyer also had 12 points on 4 of 17 shooting because why not? And David Skogman also had 11 points for the 8-man Wildcats on this day.
While the Wildcats haven’t been great on the court, they have covered in their last three, including as 6.5-point favorites over La Salle. Yes, if you do the math, they covered by a half point, but sometimes all you need is horseshoes and hand grenades to make something happen in the betting world.
Prediction
Davidson is too far against the ropes right now for me to believe in them. The ghost of Steph Curry isn’t walking through that door. The insane thing? Davidson has won six of the last seven outright. That’s changing this time around. Saint Louis 79, Davidson 75
Betting trends
Saint Louis is 10-12 ATS on the road in the last 3 seasons.
Saint Louis is 8-7 ATS off a conference win the last 3 seasons.
Davidson is 19-22 ATS off a conference game the last 3 seasons.
Davidson is 13-3 ATS off 2 straight unders the last 3 seasons.
Projected starting lineup
Saint Louis:
PG: Yuri Collins
SG: Terrence Hargrove Jr.
SF: Gibson Jimerson
PF: JaVonte Perkins
C: Francis Okoro
Davidson:
PG: Foster Loyer
SG: Grant Huffman
SF: Desmond Watson
PF: David Skogman
C: Sam Mennenga
Statistical leaders
Saint Louis:
Points: Gibson Jimerson -- 12.7
Rebounds: Francis Okoro -- 8.9
Assists: Yuri Collins -- 10.6
Davidson:
Points: Sam Mennenga -- 16.1
Rebounds: Sam Mennenga -- 7.7
Assists: Foster Loyer -- 4.6
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Chuck Sommers
About the Author:
Chuck Sommers has camped outside of sportsbooks since he can remember, learning the tricks and nuances of the trade. He still has nightmares of betting $5,000 on the Raiders in the Tuck Rule game but has since turned that to 25 years of veteran handicapping greatness. You can find him mostly in the shadows at the Red Rock or Aliante casinos wondering if the over is cashing on any given Sunday.
