Who’s Playing
VCU Rams @ Saint Louis Billikens
Current Records: VCU 16-8, Saint Louis 9-15
How To Watch
- When: Friday, February 16, 2024 at 7 p.m. ET
- Where: Chaifetz Arena — St. Louis, Missouri
- TV: ESPN2
- Follow: CBS Sports App
- Online streaming: fuboTV (Try for free. Regional restrictions may apply.)
- Ticket Cost: $5.00
What to Know
Saint Louis will be in front of their home fans on Friday, but a look at the spread shows they might need that home-court advantage. They and the VCU Rams will face off in an Atlantic 10 battle at 7:00 p.m. ET at Chaifetz Arena. Saint Louis might want some stickum for this game since the team gave up 22 turnovers on Saturday.
The oddsmakers set the bar high, but Saint Louis and the Hawks didn’t disappoint and broke past the 159.5 point over/under. The Billikens were just a bucket shy of victory and fell 87-86 to the Hawks. Having run the score up that high, both teams probably have some extra defensive drills coming up.
Despite the loss, Saint Louis got a solid performance out of Sincere Parker, who shot 4-for-7 from long range and almost dropped a double-double on 34 points and nine rebounds. As a matter of fact, that’s the most points Parker has scored all season. The team also got some help courtesy of Terrence Hargrove Jr., who scored 19 points along with eight rebounds.
Saint Louis struggled to work together and finished the game with only eight assists. They are 1-2 when they just don’t pass the ball.
Meanwhile, VCU entered their tilt with the Flyers with two consecutive wins but they’ll enter their next game with three. The Rams sure made it a nail-biter, but they managed to escape with a 49-47 victory over the Flyers on Friday. Despite the win, that was the fewest points VCU has scored all season.
The Billikens have traveled a rocky road recently having lost seven of their last eight matchups, which put a noticeable dent in their 9-15 record this season. As for the Rams, their win was their fourth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 16-8.
While only VCU took care of their fans the last time they played, both teams pleased bettors by covering the spread. Looking ahead, VCU is the favorite in this one, as the experts expect to see them win by 4.5 points. They might be worth a quick bet since they’re sitting on a six game streak of covering the spread when expected to win.
Saint Louis suffered a grim 85-61 defeat to the Rams when the teams last played back in January. Will Saint Louis have more luck at home instead of on the road?
Odds
VCU is a 4.5-point favorite against Saint Louis, according to the latest college basketball odds.
The oddsmakers had a good feel for the line for this one, as the game opened with the Rams as a 5-point favorite.
The over/under is set at 143.5 points.
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Series History
VCU has won 8 out of their last 10 games against Saint Louis.
- Jan 19, 2024 – VCU 85 vs. Saint Louis 61
- Mar 11, 2023 – VCU 90 vs. Saint Louis 78
- Feb 28, 2023 – VCU 79 vs. Saint Louis 67
- Feb 03, 2023 – VCU 73 vs. Saint Louis 65
- Mar 05, 2022 – Saint Louis 69 vs. VCU 65
- Feb 23, 2021 – VCU 67 vs. Saint Louis 65
- Feb 21, 2020 – Saint Louis 80 vs. VCU 62
- Feb 26, 2019 – VCU 71 vs. Saint Louis 65
- Jan 23, 2018 – VCU 75 vs. Saint Louis 74
- Feb 22, 2017 – VCU 64 vs. Saint Louis 50
