Saint Louis vs Drake Odds, Pick
| Saint Louis Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+15.5 -110 | 151.5 -105o / -115u | +900 |
| Drake Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-15.5 -110 | 151.5 -105o / -115u | -1600 |
The heat has intensified on the seat of Saint Louis head coach Travis Ford following a rough 5-4 start to the season, including four consecutive losses.
The Billikens will try to turn the tide against the Drake Bulldogs, who host the game in Des Moines, Iowa.
Saint Louis Billikens
How does Saint Louis turn around this sinking ship before it hits rock bottom? I'm not sure there's one certain thing the Billikens can improve on quickly — it's just doing all the little things better.
Plus, the team possesses far less talent than recent SLU teams.
Saint Louis starts Terrence Hargrove Jr. at the five; he's producing decent numbers, but only stands at 6-foot-4. He's the smallest starting "five-man" in college basketball. Most teams have someone who can use their size inside to rebound and play post defense. That's not the case for SLU.
This issue contributes to SLU's bottom-30 rankings in offensive 2-point field percentage and 2-point field goal percentage. There's no dump-down option on offense or shot blocker to deter drivers on the other end.
It seems like Coach Ford figured someone would either develop or someone could transfer in, but this has completely ruined SLU's season.
At some point, Ford has to throw freshman 7-footer Bruce Zhang into the fire and live with the results.
The offensive side is more easy to solve than the defensive issues. SLU relies on veteran guards Gibson Jimerson, Larry Hughes II and Mike Meadows Jr. to score.
Jimerson is an experienced flamethrower who scored 20+ points in two of the past three games. The Billikens will need a similar outing from their best player to compete in this one.
One issue worth monitoring: Jimerson and Hargrove are game-time decisions for Wednesday's game. I don't see Saint Louis having any chance of competing without its two most valuable players.
Drake Bulldogs
Drake has seen a major shift in 3-point shooting percentage, falling from 37% last year to 31% so far this year.
It's a bit surprising to see Tucker DeVries — the reigning Missouri Valley Player of the Year — shooting 31% from 3, but eventually, the shots will start falling.
Even without the perimeter shots, DeVries still averages 20+ points on 47% shooting.
It wouldn't surprise me if Drake lives up to being the No. 1 team in the Missouri Valley, as the preseason poll indicated. But it's clear defensive deficiencies could cause issues moving forward.
Replacing two defensive mainstays — Garrett Sturtz and D.J. Wilkins — will take a while, which means newcomers like Kevin Overton and Atin Wright have to make improvements.
Saint Louis vs. Drake
Betting Pick & Prediction
I love Drake giving the 13, and I'm willing to take the Bulldogs up to 14.5 points. The Billikens have so many injuries; even if Jimerson/Hargrove play, neither will be 100%.
Drake is one of the most efficient teams at driving to the basket and converting on 2-point attempts. Will the lack of rim protection from Saint Louis be noticeable in this one? I really think so.
I'm riding with the Bulldogs to bark their way to an easy cover.
Pick: Drake -13
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