American vs Saint Joseph’s Prediction College Basketball Picks 12/18/24

The American Eagles and the St. Joseph’s Hawks meet Wednesday in college basketball action from Hagan Arena. Here’s an American vs St. Joseph’s prediction. We will look at this from a betting perspective and determine the best American vs St. Joseph’s pick. We will examine:

The American Eagles’ recent form and player performance

The St. Joseph’s Hawks’ recent form and player performance

Recent betting trends and streaks involving the American Eagles

Recent betting trends and streaks involving the St. Joseph’s Hawks

Recent betting trends in games played between American and St. Joseph’s

A summary that ties it all together and produces a favorable betting outcome for the American vs St. Joseph’s game

American Eagles Betting Preview

The Eagles’ season started on a 1-4 run with losses to La Salle, Siena, North Carolina, and High Point. American has since beaten UMKC, Puerto Rico-Bayamon, Albany, Notre Dame MD, and George Washington in the last five outings.

In the matchup with the Revolutionaries way back on December 4, the Eagles posted 28 points in the first half, 32 in the second, and 21 in overtime for an 81-71 win. Leading scorer Colin Smalls put up 26 points with a pair of steals in the victory.

St. Joseph’s Hawks Betting Preview

Over on the St. Joseph’s side, they beat Navy, Villanova, Penn, Texas Tech, and Coppin State during a 5-2 start over their first seven outings. It’s been a win over La Salle in between losses to Princeton and Charleston in the three games since.

Matched up against Charleston last Tuesday, the Hawks came out of the break with a 43-36 edge. St. Joseph’s fell behind on a 42-32 run the rest of the way and lost 78-75. Rasheer Fleming topped the team with 26 points and five rebounds.

Why the Saint Joseph’s Hawks will win

• American University has lost each of its last six away games when playing with a rest advantage.
• Saint Joseph’s has won nine of its last 10 night games against the Patriot League.
• American University has lost the first half in nine of its last 10 Wednesday road games against non-conference opponents.

Why the American University Eagles will win

• American University has won each of its last five games against non-AP-ranked opponents.
• Saint Joseph’s has lost three of its last four night games at Michael J. Hagan Arena against non-AP-ranked opponents.

American vs St. Joseph’s Prediction

I’ll lean toward American. We should have a fun matchup here. The Eagles haven’t been on the court in two weeks but pulled off a nice OT win versus a pretty good George Washington team in their last outing. American shot a tepid 40.3 percent from the field with 16 turnovers in that one though, so there’s plenty to improve upon. The Eagles have 73 or more points in four straight games now.

As for St. Joseph’s, they couldn’t quite keep pace with Charleston in their last game—thanks in part to 15 turnovers for 13 Cougars points. The Hawks have hit 69 or more points in four straight games (a 2-2 run) but they’ve also given up 68 or more in three straight. American should have some good scoring opportunities Wednesday and I think they can hit a cover.