Check out our free Rhode Island vs Saint Louis pick and preview for this NCAA Basketball game in St. Louis. See who we like to win and cover the spread in this College Basketball matchup.

Rhode Island vs Saint Louis Pick & Preview: Tuesday, February 7th Betting Odds

Rams vs Billikens Matchup at a Glance

  • Sport: NCAAB
  • Teams: Rhode Island Rams at Saint Louis Billikens
  • Where: St. Louis at Chaifetz Arena
  • Date: Tuesday, February 7th
  • Betting Odds: Rhode Island +11.5, RI +473 | STLOU -700 O/U 142.5

Rams Preview:

Through 22 games, the Rhode Island Rams have an overall record of 8-14. On the road, the Rams will be playing their 7th game of the season, having gone 0-7. So far, the Rams have been the underdog 13 times, going 2-11 straight up. Heading into today’s contest, they are the +11.5 underdogs on the spread.

Rhode Island will be counting on another strong performance from the team’s leading scorer Ishmael Leggett who is averaging 16.0 points per game for the Rams. Leggett is also important to the team’s ability to score on the perimeter. So far, he leads the team in 3-point shots made. Also key to the Rams’ offensive game plan is the play of Brayon Freeman who has hit 37.0% of his field goal attempts on his way to averaging 14.48 points per game.

Offensive production has been hard to come by for Rhode Island this season, as they are currently ranked 325th in college basketball at 67.1 points per game. A major reason for low scoring totals is the fact that they have played at a below average pace, and have struggled to knock down outside shots. As a team, the Rams’ 3-point shooting percentage sits at just 33.6%, placing them 277th in the NCAA.

Billikens Preview:

The Saint Louis Billikens head into today’s game in what will be their 24th game of the season, posting a record of 15-8. So far this season, Saint Louis has played 14 games at home, sitting with a record of 10-4. At the time of this article, the oddsmakers have the Billikens as the -11.5 point favorites. The Billikens have been favored 21 times, going 14-7 straight up.

Saint Louis will be counting on another strong performance from the team’s leading scorer Gibson Jimerson who is averaging 12.7 points per game for the Billikens. Jimerson is also important to the team’s ability to score on the perimeter. So far, he leads the team in 3-point shots made. Also key to the Billikens’ offensive game plan is the play of Yuri Collins who has hit 44.2% of his field goal attempts on his way to averaging 11.55 points per game.

So far this season, Saint Louis has put together a strong scoring offense at 76.4 points per game (58th). This strong figure has come despite the Billikens playing at a slow tempo compared to other schools. For the season, they have hit 36.9% of their shots from outside, which is closer to the NCAA average. Saint Louis’ overall field goal percentage currently sits at 45.4%

Free Spread Prediction: Saint Louis Billikens -11.5

One key reason that we feel good about taking the Rhode Island Rams to cover the spread as +11.5 point underdogs at away, is the fact that they will come into the game looking to control the pace of the game. This season, the Rams have made a habit of limiting Possessions and slowing the game down. This strategy should help them keep the game closer than expected against a Saint Louis that is looking to get out and run. Although Rhode Island doesn’t have a great track record vs the spread as the underdog, we like the fact that they are playing at away and present a bit of mismatch for the heavily favored Billikens.