Saint Louis vs Richmond Odds and Picks

• The Saint Louis Billikens (7-2, 0-1 A10) play the Richmond Spiders (10-4, 4-2 A10) on Friday, January 29
• This will be only the second game the Billikens have played since December 23rd due to COVID-19 postponements
• See the odds, spread, analysis, and best bet below

The Saint Louis Billikens and Richmond Spiders will square off for the first time this season at the Robins Center in Richmond, Virginia on Friday night (Jan, 29, 6:30pm ET).

St. Louis finally resumed their season on Tuesday night after not playing a game in over a month due to COVID-19 complications. In their return, they looked rusty defensively and ended up losing to Dayton 76-71. As for Richmond, they were impressive their last time out throttling a hapless St. Joe’s side 79-56.

Saint Louis vs Richmond Odds

Odds as of January 28th at FanDuel.

The Billikens have won four of the last five matchups between the schools, including a 74-58 beatdown as 5-point underdogs in the last meeting on Jan. 11, 2020. The current odds are showing Richmond as a 1.5-point favorite in this matchup.

Saint Louis Looks Rusty

The Billikens opened the season on a 7-1 run with their only loss coming to the Minnesota Golden Gophers on December 20th. They had wins over North Carolina State and LSU during that run and appeared to be a team on the rise. Then COVID-19 tore through their program and they postponed their season for a month. They were finally back in action Tuesday night when they took a loss to the Dayton Flyers.

Some things never get old 😏 pic.twitter.com/MNNBQOUcYt

— Dayton Basketball (@DaytonMBB) January 27, 2021

In the loss to the Flyers, the Billikens looked a little rusty but only on the defensive side of the ball and from the free throw line. Offensively, they shot 52% from the floor, which is on par with their fourth-best season total of 51%. Javonte Perkins led the way for Saint Louis with 20 points in the loss. It was the fourth time this season Perkins went for more than 20 points in a game.

Richmond Still Has A Chance At The A10

The Spiders took a two week hiatus due to their own COVID-19 complications and promptly lost their first game back to La Salle 84-78 last Saturday. They could ill-afford the loss after having already lost to conference leader, St. Bonaventure, back on January 2nd. They didn’t hang their heads and made the most of their next opportunity, smashing St. Joe’s 79-56  in Philadelphia on Tuesday night.

Notes, quotes, and more from Richmond's big road win Tuesday night in Philadelphia. #OneRichmond https://t.co/OKoRoHcsbW

— Richmond Basketball (@SpiderMBB) January 27, 2021

The Spiders came out on fire in Tuesday’s game, dropping 40 points in the first half on the Hawks and never looking back. Richmond worked St. Joe’s, dishing out 23 assists and dominating the painted area, outscoring the opposition 34-18. Tyler Burton carried the load offensively for the Spiders pouring in 25 points for his fourth straight double-digit scoring game.

Best Betting Angle

Both of these teams are in must-win territory at this point in the season and both teams are capable of scoring on anyone. Richmond is currently the 27th most efficient offense in the nation, while Saint Louis checks in at number 45 according to KenPom. They are both deadly shooting teams who rank in the top 21 in the country in shooting percentage.

The total for this game seems a little low given the offensive prowess of both teams, combined with the pace at which they play. Both are running at close to 70 possessions per 40 minutes (adjusted for opponent) and neither looks to be on their game defensively.

Richmond isn’t even in the top 100 in terms of defensive efficiency and Saint Louis just gave up 76 points to a Dayton team that isn’t in the top 225 in the nation in points per game. This could be a shootout at a discounted price.

Pick: Over 146.5 (-108)