Saint Louis vs Davidson Basketball Prediction & Picks: Billikens look to move into first-place tie in A-10

Tonight, Saint Louis will look to tie VCU atop the Atlantic 10 standings with a road win over Davidson. The matchup between the Billikens (14-6, 6-1 A-10) and Wildcats (10-10, 3-5 A-10) is set for 7:00 pm ET (6:00 pm local time), and it will be televised on ESPN2.

SLU has won five in a row entering tonight’s game, and they are just a half-game behind VCU (16-5, 7-1 A-10) in the standings, with the two teams set to meet in St. Louis next Friday (7:00 pm ET, ESPN2).

While the Billikens appear to be making a serious run at their first A-10 regular season title since 2014, this season hasn’t been so good for the Wildcats, though they broke a four-game losing streak last time out with a win at LaSalle.

Who will take the win tonight in this A-10 matchup? Read on for our Saint Louis vs Davidson basketball prediction and picks.

Saint Louis vs Davidson Odds

Odds are via BetOnline as of Friday, January 27, 2023, at 7:40 am ET. This article may also include odds from our other recommended legal sports betting sites.

Spread

• Saint Louis -1.5 (-110)
• Davidson +1.5 (-110)

Over/Under

• Over 144.5 (-110)
• Under 144.5 (-110)

Moneyline

• Saint Louis -122
• Davidson +102

Can Davidson Generate Enough Offense Against Saint Louis?

Davidson managed to score enough points to pick up a much-needed 64-57 win in Philadelphia on Tuesday, but outside of Sam Mennenga and David Skogman, no one else can really pat themselves on the back.

Mennenga, the team’s leading scorer (16.1 PPG) made 10 of 16 shots from the field, including 3 of 4 from three, and recorded 27 points and 11 rebounds. Skogman, who averages 6.8 PPG for the season, made 5 of 6 shots and scored 11 points in 20 minutes.

However, everyone else was just 8 of 32 (25%) from the field overall, including 5 of 17 (29.4%) from three, and accounted for only 26 points. Foster Loyer, the team’s second-leading scorer at 15.4 PPG, was only 4 of 17 from the field.

That kind of effort won’t get it done against Saint Louis, who leads the A-10 in scoring at 76.9 PPG.

The Billikens have scored at least 76 points in all but one of their conference games and in 14 of their 20 games this season, and in their most recent game, they recorded an 84-71 home win over LaSalle last Saturday.

The Billikens don’t have a dominant scorer, with leading scorer Gibson Jimerson averaging just 12.7 PPG.

But they have four players averaging double figures, and nine players are averaging at least 5.5 PPG. They also boast the nation’s leader in assists in Yuri Collins (12.1 PPG, 3.8 RPG, 10.6 APG), who had 17 points, five boards, and 11 assists against LaSalle.

Saint Louis vs Davidson Prediction and Picks

Saint Louis vs Davidson Prediction: Saint Louis to win

Saint Louis vs Davidson Picks: Saint Louis ML (Best Value: BetOnline) & Saint Louis team total over 72.5 (Best Value: Bovada Sportsbook)

I’m certainly not dismissing Davidson’s potential to win this game. Loyer is shooting only 36.4% from the field and 33.6% from three after shooting 45.1% from the field and 43.8% from three last season. If he can find his shot, the Wildcats are a much better team.

But I’m backing the Billikens to get the road win tonight behind another solid offensive performance.

In three games since shooting 42.6% (23 of 54) from the field in a 63-62 win over George Mason, Saint Louis has shot 52.6% (90 of 171) from the field and 44.2% (23 of 52) from three.

If they continue to shoot as well as they have lately and for the most part in A-10 play, this Davidson team is unlikely to be able to keep up.