Game Information
#18 Saint Louis Billikens (24-1) at Rhode Island Rams (14-11)
Time: 6pm CT Tuesday
How to watch: ESPN+
DraftKings Odds
Spread: SLU -9.5
Total: 153.5
KenPom Projection
SLU 79, Rhode Island 69
The Saint Louis University Billikens look to continue their dream season tonight when they travel to face the Rhode Island Rams.
With a victory tonight, SLU can tie the longest winning streak in school history set by the 2013-14 team that won 19 in a row.
The Billikens have experienced some close calls on other Tuesday conference games this season, including tight victories against Duquesne, George Washington, and Davidson.
Another trend that has been showing up is slow first halves before SLU overwhelms its opponent in the second half.
I have a feeling we may see something similar tonight.
The Billikens are getting all of their opponents’ best shot, in particular when a ranked team comes to town. So I expect the Rams to compete tonight, especially on the defensive end. KenPom has Rhode Island tabbed as the 4th-best defensive team in the Atlantic 10.
But eventually, per usual, I expect the Billikens to break their opponent.
I just don’t think Rhode Island can score enough to hang with SLU for 40 minutes. The Rams are 4th-worst in the A10 averaging just 72.2 points per game, and they have dropped three of their last four games heading into tonight’s action.
I also expect SLU to dominate the 3-point arc on both ends of the floor. The Bills rank 2nd in the country in 3-point field goal percentage offense and 1st in the nation in 3-point field goal percentage defense. Rhode Island is 310th offensively and 284th defensively in that department.
I wouldn’t dissuade you from laying the points with the Billikens pregame, but I think a better option would be to live bet them during the game. If the score is close in the later stages of the first half, that may be a good time to strike because if we’ve learned one thing this season, a kill shot run from SLU is coming - and it’s probably going to come quickly.
Lean: SLU -9.5 at -110 on DraftKings (with a good opportunity to live bet)
Eric Sontag hosts Domesticated Gamblers every week on the STL Sports Central YouTube channel. Follow him on X @GamblingDads, and click here for his daily picks on all of our St. Louis area sports teams. Get Eric's picks for all sports by following him in the Action Network app with the username "esontag". Disclaimer