Saint Joseph's Hawks vs Rhode Island Rams Prediction, 2/28/2026 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Saint Joseph's Hawks vs Rhode Island Rams

Date: Saturday, February 28, 2026

Location: Thomas M. Ryan Center in Kingston, RI

TV: ESPN+

Thomas M. Ryan Center is the site where the Rhode Island Rams (15-13) will try to beat the Saint Joseph's Hawks (18-10) on Saturday.

The Saint Joseph's Hawks faced off with George Mason and walked away with a win by a score of 81-63 in their last contest. When discussing personal fouls, the Hawks finished with 13 and George Mason racked up 9 personal fouls. They also made 6 of their 24 attempts from beyond the perimeter. George Mason walked away from this one shooting 78.6% at the free throw line by converting 11 of their 14 attempts. On top of that, George Mason collected 34 rebounds (10 offensive, 24 defensive), but didn't notch a rejection. George Mason earned 10 assists and had 1 steal for this contest. When talking about defending, Saint Joseph's let their opponent shoot 39.7% from the floor on 23 out of 58 shooting. They also distributed 18 dimes for the game in addition to forcing the other team into 9 turnovers and having 6 steals. In relation to pulling down rebounds, they earned 25 with 3 of them being on the offensive end. From the free throw line, the Hawks buried 6 of 9 tries for a percentage of 66.7%. Saint Joseph's ended the game with a 51.6% FG percentage (32 of 62) and converted 11 of their 30 shots from downtown.

Derek Simpson is one player who was a major contributor for the contest. He accumulated 23 points on 10 out of 15 shooting. He saw the court for 34 minutes played and also grabbed 2 boards. He shot 66.7% from the floor and also earned 8 assists.

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Saint Joseph's comes into this one with a mark of 18-10 so far this year. They are turning it over 11.8 times per game and as a squad they are committing 14.0 fouls on a nightly basis. As a unit, Saint Joseph's is pulling down 38.6 boards per game and has 442 dimes on the year, which has them ranked 95th in the nation in terms of passing the rock. The Hawks are connecting on 30.7% on shots from downtown (235 of 765) and 75.0% from the free throw line. They are averaging 73.8 points per outing (243rd in college hoops) while connecting on 42.8% from the field.

When they are on defense, the Hawks are forcing 10.7 turnovers every game and they draw 15.0 fouls. They are conceding 32.5% on 3-point shots while they are 86th in D-1 in PPG from their opponents (70.5). The Hawks are giving up an opponent shooting percentage of 41.0% (720 of 1,757) and they relinquish 36.0 boards per contest as a unit. They are ranked 151st in Division 1 in giving up assists to their opponents with 374 surrendered for the year.

When they last stepped on the court, the Rhode Island Rams took a loss by a final score of 94-76 when they played St. Bonaventure. The Rams collected 18 defensive boards and 6 offensive boards totaling 24 for this contest. They turned it over 13 times, while getting 6 steals for this contest. St. Bonaventure committed 18 personal fouls in the game which got the Rams to the charity stripe for a total of 16 attempts. They were able to convert 14 of them for a rate of 87.5%. In terms of shots from downtown, Rhode Island buried 10 of 21 tries (47.6%). Overall, the Rams finished shooting 26 out of 57 from the field which gave them a percentage of 45.6%. The Rams allowed St. Bonaventure to make 33 of 59 tries from the field which left them with a shooting percentage of 55.9% for the matchup. They shot 45.5% from 3-point land by hitting 10 out of 22 and finished the game at 18 of 23 at the charity stripe (78.3%). When talking about cleaning the glass, Rhode Island allowed St. Bonaventure to collect 32 in total (9 on the offensive glass).

Tyler Cochran ended up being important for the Rams in the matchup. He buried 8 of 12 for the game giving him a field goal percentage of 66.7%, and accounted for 7 rebounds. He accumulated 21 points in his 27 minutes on the court, but didn't record an assist.

Rhode Island has a mark of 15-13 this season. As an offensive unit, the Rams are connecting on 44.3% from the field, which ranks 243rd in the nation. Rhode Island has 2,007 points this year (71.7 per contest) and they pull in 32.6 boards per game. They are assisting teammates 11.5 times per game (340th in college) and they turn it over 12.5 times per game. The Rams have committed 18.3 personal fouls every game and they go 72.4% from the charity stripe.

The Rhode Island defense gives up 36.3% on shots from beyond the arc (218 of 600) and their opponents are making 71.0% of their free throw attempts. They have conceded 12.3 dimes and 33.3 boards on a nightly basis, which has them ranked 87th and 109th in the country. The Rams on the defensive end are ranked 64th in college in points per game surrendered with 69.3. They are forcing 14.3 TO's every game and have let teams shoot 44.0% from the floor (176th in college hoops).

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

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take Saint Joseph's

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