VCU Rams vs Saint Joseph's Hawks Prediction, 1/17/2025 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: VCU Rams vs Saint Joseph's Hawks

Date: Friday, January 17, 2025

Location: Michael J. Hagan '85 Arena in Philadelphia, PA

TV: ESPN+

The VCU Rams (13-4) are hitting the road to Michael J. Hagan '85 Arena on Friday where they will go up against the Saint Joseph's Hawks (11-6).

The VCU Rams played Saint Louis and took home the win by a score of 78-62 in their last contest. VCU walked away from the contest having earned a 41.7% field goal percentage (30 of 72) and made 10 of their 33 three-point attempts. From the free throw line, the Rams converted 8 of 10 attempts for a percentage of 80.0%. Concerning rebounding, they earned a total of 32 with 18 of them being of the offensive sort. They also distributed 18 dimes in this game as well as creating 19 turnovers and earning 14 steals. In the matter of defense, VCU let their opponent shoot 45.9% from the floor on 17 of 37 shooting. Saint Louis dished out 10 dimes and had 9 steals for the contest. Additionally, Saint Louis pulled down 24 rebounds (3 offensive, 21 defensive), but wasn't able to record a block. Saint Louis ended up going 82.6% from the charity stripe by converting 19 of 23 attempts. They made 9 of 23 tries from long range. When talking about fouls, the Rams ended up walking away with 17 while Saint Louis racked up 13 fouls.

Joseph Bamisile is a player who was a major contributor in the game. He ended up walking away with 23 points on 8 out of 17 shooting. He was on the hardwood for 30 mins and collected 3 boards. He finished the contest at 47.1% from the floor and earned 3 dimes.

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VCU enters this one with a mark of 13-4 for the year. They currently have an average of 77.6 points per contest (114th in the nation) on 44.7% from the floor. The Rams are hitting 31.5% on shots from beyond the arc (157 of 499) and 70.7% from the charity stripe. As a unit, VCU is pulling in 38.4 rebounds per game and has 267 assists on the season, which has them ranked 94th in college hoops in terms of passing the rock. They lose possession via turnover 11.9 times per game and as a group are committing 17.9 fouls every game.

On the defensive end, the Rams are able to force 15.1 turnovers per game and they draw 18.0 fouls. They are ranked 20th in the nation in allowing assists to the opposition with 168 conceded so far this season. The Rams defense is giving up an opponent FG percentage of 39.5% (365 of 924) and they surrender 33.7 rebounds per game as a unit. They surrender 31.0% on three-point shots and they are 15th in college in opponents PPG (62.5).

When they last played, the Saint Joseph's Hawks got the victory with a final of 93-57 against Loyola. The Hawks were able to pull down 29 defensive boards and 7 offensive rebounds totaling 36 for this game. They coughed up the ball 10 times, while recording 8 steals for the contest. Loyola committed 13 fouls for the game which got the Hawks to the charity stripe for a total of 11 shots. They were able to convert 7 of the free throw tries for a percentage of 63.6%. When discussing shots from distance, Saint Joseph's converted 18 out of 33 tries (54.5%). Overall, the Hawks ended up going 34 out of 62 from the floor which gave them a rate of 54.8%. The Hawks allowed Loyola to convert 23 out of 67 attempts from the floor which gave them a percentage of 34.3% in this contest. They went 38.1% from downtown by shooting 8 of 21 and finished the game at 3 of 10 at the free throw line (30.0%). In regard to rebounding, Saint Joseph's permitted Loyola to pull down 31 overall (12 on the offensive glass).

Xzayvier Brown ended up being a major contributor for the Hawks in this game. He converted 8 out of 16 in this game giving him a rate of 50.0%, and had 4 rebounds. He earned 20 points in his 32 minutes on the hardwood and had 4 dimes in this matchup.

Saint Joseph's has a mark of 11-6 for the year. The Hawks commit 14.4 fouls every game while shooting 74.3% from the charity stripe. Their rate of assisting teammates is at 16.5 times per game (49th in D-1) and they lose possession by turning the ball over 12.1 times per contest. Saint Joseph's has 1,305 points this season (76.8 per game) and they pull in 37.1 rebounds per game. On the offensive side of the court, the Hawks are shooting 45.5% from the floor, which ranks them 152nd in college hoops.

The Saint Joseph's defense gives up 31.5% on three-point shots (116 of 368) and opponents are making 76.7% of their foul shots. They allow 13.7 assists and 34.6 rebounds on a nightly basis, which is ranked 233rd and 192nd in D-1. The Hawks on the defensive end are ranked 100th in D-1 in PPG allowed with 68.6. They are forcing 11.8 TO's per game and have allowed teams to shoot 40.6% from the field (54th in D-1).

Who will win tonight's NCAA game against the spread?

Tony Sink's Pick: Take VCU

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