Dayton Flyers at Saint Louis Billikens Betting Preview
Tuesday night features a battle of Atlantic 10 teams as the Dayton Flyers (8-4) take on the No. 22 Saint Louis Billikens (7-1). Saint Louis will host this one from the Chaifetz Arena, with tipoff scheduled for 8:30 pm ET.
Dayton comes into this one hoping to have a short memory as they were embarrassed by VCU on the road on Saturday. In the 66-43 loss, they tied a school record for the fewest points in a half, with only 13 in the first half. Jordy Tshimanga and Zimi Nwokeji led all scorers with ten points each.
Some teams have been able to minimize the impact of the dreaded COVID-19 virus, and then there is St. Louis. The Billikens plan to play their first game Tuesday in over a month after having an outbreak throughout the team and coaching staff.
Their last game was a 62-46 win over UMKC on December 23rd. With six games postponed thus far in the Atlantic 10, this will actually be their first conference game of the season.
Despite the layoff, the Billikens are still the overwhelming favorites. They are -550 to win, while Dayton’s moneyline sits at +410. The spread features the Flyers +9.5 while the over/under for total points is 135.5.
By The Numbers
Prior to the outbreak, St. Louis was one of the best offenses in the nation. They currently rank 9th overall in points per game with 83.9. For Dayton, they fall to 245th, averaging just 67.5 per game.
Both of these teams have been pretty good on the defensive end. St. Louis ranks 41st in scoring defense, allowing 64.5 points per game. Dayton ranks 48th defense allowing just 65.1 points per game.
Dayton Looks For Big Conference Win
After dominating the Atlantic 10 last season with Obi Toppin at the helm, Dayton returns to reality. Now, it appears that St. Louis could be one of the top dogs in the conference, and Dayton will be looking to knock them off on Tuesday.
Leading the way this season for the Flyers is senior guard Jalen Crutcher. He leads all scorers with 18.3 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 4.4 assists. He is looking to bounce back from the loss to VCU, where he scored just 4 points.
The other two double-digit scorers for the Flyers include Ibi Watson (15 points, 3.4 rebounds) and Mustapha Amzil (11.4 points, 4.9 rebounds).
Billikens Excited To Get Back On The Court
It has been a long month for the St. Louis Billikens, and despite the layoff, it will likely be a long-awaited relief just to get back onto the court.
Before the suspension of play, guards Javonte Perkins and Jordan Goodwin were leading the Billikens to their 7-1 record. Perkins is averaging 17.8 points, three rebounds, and 2.1 assists. Goodwin is averaging a double-double with 16.9 points, 11.1 points, 3.8 assists, and 2.1 steals.
Gibson Jimerson is the last of the leading scorers averaging 11.3 points. Other contributors include Hasahn French (8.8 points, 7.3 rebounds) and Demarius Jacobs (7.8 points, 2.5 rebounds).
Taking Dayton And The Points
This is a really tough one to call. If all things were equal, St. Louis is the far superior team, but a month off is a month off.
Not only has the team not had games, but they just recently started practicing. Between the lack of playing and the toll of the virus, conditioning is a significant factor.
Granted, St. Louis will be amped up to play again, but it will be interesting to see how they hold up down the stretch. I wouldn’t blame you if you took St. Louis, but for my money, I am taking Dayton and the 9.5 points.
