Fordham (8-5) vs Saint Louis (6-6)
December 31, 2024 at 02:00 PM EST
The Line: Betting Odds: Fordham PK / Saint Louis PK — Over/Under: 153
The Saint Louis Billikens and the Fordham Rams meet Tuesday in college basketball action from Rose Hill Gym. Here’s a Saint Louis vs Fordham prediction. We will look at this from a betting perspective and determine the best Saint Louis vs Fordham pick. We will examine:
The Saint Louis Billikens’ recent form and player performance
The Fordham Rams’ recent form and player performance
Recent betting trends and streaks involving the Saint Louis Billikens
Recent betting trends and streaks involving the Fordham Rams
Recent betting trends in games played between Saint Louis and Fordham
A summary that ties it all together and produces a favorable betting outcome for the Saint Louis vs Fordham game
Saint Louis Billikens Betting Preview
The Billikens won six of their first nine games this year, falling to only Santa Clara, Wichita State, and San Francisco along the way. The victories in that time came courtesy of Avila, Loyola Marymount, Quinnipiac, UMass Lowell, Jackson State, and Chicago State otherwise. St. Louis would then fall to Illinois State, Wofford, and Grand Canyon in their next three games.
In the Friday matchup with William Woods, the Billikens came out of the first half with a 44-34 edge. Saint Louis closed on a 34-23 run and won it 78-57 to stop their slide. Lead scorer Gibson Jimerson finished with 28 points in the victory. Robbie Avila added 23 points with six rebounds, six assists, and four steals. Dylan Warlick came off the bench to contribute nine points alongside six rebounds and one assist.
Avila is averaging 17.8 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 4.7 assists per game this season. He’s tied with Jimerson at 17.8 as well. Jimerson also boasts 4.0 rebounds per game in 13 outings. St. Louis has had to deal with some injuries and absences this year already though, including lead scorer Isaiah Swope. Saint Louis will meet St. Joseph’s after this game.
Fordham Rams Betting Preview
Over on the Fordham side, they went just 3-5 in their first eight with losses to St. John’s, Manhattan, Drexel, Penn State, and San Francisco. The Rams beat only Seton Hall, Binghamton, and Georgian Court otherwise. Since then it’s been wins over New Hampshire, Fairleigh Dickinson, Maine, Bryant, and Albany for an 8-5 overall record, though.
Matched up against Albany on December 21, the Rams were comfortably ahead by 11 points in the locker room. Fordham had to hang on during a 48-41 second half but still won 87-83. Matt Zona came off the bench to provide 15 points and four rebounds. Leading the starters was Jahmere Tripp with 14 points, six rebounds, and three steals. Japhet Medor, Jackie Johnson, and Joshua Rivera each contributed 13 points as well.
Johnson is the team’s leading scorer this season with 18.5 points per game. In second is Tripp, with 10.9 points and 4.1 rebounds per game through nine appearances. Medor is also in double-figures on 10.5 points and 3.5 assists per game thus far.
Why the Fordham Rams will win
- Fordham has won each of its last five games against non-AP-ranked opponents.
- Saint Louis has lost three of its last four games.
Why the Saint Louis Billikens will win
- Saint Louis has won each of its last four day games against Conference opponents.
- Fordham has lost four of its last five day games against the Atlantic 10 Conference.
- Saint Louis has won the first half in each of its last five day games against Conference opponents.
St. Louis vs Fordham Prediction
I’m going to lean toward Fordham. The Rams have looked pretty good over this five-game win streak and they’re coming off a nice effort versus Albany (despite a slower second half). Fordham shot a clean 50 percent in that one with 32 rebounds and 13 turnovers. The Rams did allow a pretty hefty 49.2 percent shooting on the other side, however. Still, that makes 83 or more points in all five wins during this current run.
As for St. Louis, they didn’t have too many issues versus an overmatched William Woods team in their last outing. The Billikens hit 54 percent from the field with 37 boards, helping to stop a three-game skid. Saint Louis has 71 or more points in five straight games (a 2-3 run), but they’ve also given up 73 or more points in the three losses during that time. Fordham should be capable of continuing that trend on Tuesday.