The Saint Joseph’s Hawks (9-9) and VCU Rams (6-13) are set to face off on Monday night, going head-to-head in Richmond. The Atlantic 10 showdown will tip off at 3 p.m. EST on CBS Sports Network.
The Rams are 14.5-point favorites at home with -1450 moneyline odds and the total has been set at 154.5 points. Here is a preview of the conference matchup featuring odds and lines from DraftKings Sportsbook.
Saint Joseph’s vs. VCU Preview, Prediction
Saint Joseph’s Preview
After early home wins over Lafayette and Drexel, the Hawks came up empty during their road trip against Virginia Tech, UPenn and UNLV. Saint Joe’s eventually notched back-to-back close wins over Princeton and Temple, but they lost by eight to Syracuse when they hit the road again. The Hawks started A10 play with a road loss to Saint Louis, but have won three straight against Duquesne, at Richmond and versus St. Bonaventure.
La Salle transfer Deuce Jones was the Hawks’ leading scorer to start the season with 15.8 points per game, but he left the program in December. St. John’s transfer Jaiden Glover has filled the void with 15.8 points per game while shooting 38.5% from deep on 7.3 attempts per game. Derek Simpson has taken a leap as well, averaging 10.6 points, 5.4 rebounds and 3.6 assists per game through January 3 but 17.7 points, 7.0 rebounds and 6.7 assists per game during Saint Joseph’s three-game winning streak. Forward Dasear Haskins is averaging 10.4 points and 6.2 rebounds per game alongside big man Justice Ajogbor, who is putting up 4.7 points, 4.7 rebounds and 1.9 blocks a night.
Saint Joe’s ranks No. 31 in blocks per game and No. 45 in rebounds per game, all while committing the 21st-fewest fouls and hitting free throws at the 38th-best clip in the country. However, they also force the 50th-fewest turnovers and shoot the fifth-lowest percentage from three.
The Hawks rank No. 183 in the updated KenPom ratings, boasting the No. 248 adjusted offense and No. 116 adjusted defense. As for the NET rankings, Saint Joseph’s comes in at No. 197, going 0-3 against Quad 1, 1-0 against Quad 2, 2-3 against Quad 3 and 6-1 against Quad 4. Monday’s game at VCU constitutes a Q1 matchup.
VCU Preview
The Rams defended their home court against Wagner, Saint Peter’s and Coppin State, but lost by three at a neutral site to Utah State and lost by six at No. 25 NC State. While No. 24 Vanderbilt beat VCU in the Battle 4 Atlantis semifinals, the Rams did finish in third thanks to their wins over South Florida and Virginia Tech. VCU carried a five-game winning streak into the start of A10 action, besting St. Bonaventure and Duquesne, only to lose to Saint Louis and at George Mason. Their last game was a nine-point win over Rhode Island on the road.
Lazar Djokovic, a 6-foot-10 Charleston transfer averaging 13.7 points and 5.6 rebounds per game, is expected to play Monday after missing VCU’s last game due to illness. Sophomore guard Terrence Hill Jr. is actually the Rams’ leading scorer at 14.6 points per game, shooting 41.3% from beyond the arc, despite not logging a single start. Oregon transfer Jadrian Tracey, freshman Nyk Lewis, Bryant transfer Barry Evans and sophomore Brandon Jennings round out the starting lineup, each averaging between 10.1 and 8.0 points per game.
VCU ranks No. 49 in three-point percentage, No. 47 in blocks per game and No. 16 in free throw attempts per game. Their opponents also attempt the 19th-fewest three-pointers per game.
Per the latest KenPom ratings, the Rams rank No. 44 on offense, No. 77 on defense and No. 48 overall. They come in at No. 55 in the NET, going 0-5 against Quad 1, 2-1 against Quad 2, 3-0 against Quad 3 and 7-0 against Quad 4. Monday’s game versus Saint Joe’s constitutes a Quad 4 matchup.
Saint Joseph’s vs. VCU Pick, Best Bet
Through 18 games this season, VCU has seen 12 of their contests clear 154.5 points, including six of their last seven and four of their five conference games. That is thanks, in part, to the Rams’ top-100 tempo. Even though the Hawks’ pace barely ranks inside the top 200, plus the fact that they have only gone over 154.5 six times this year, they probably won’t be able to control the tempo as a heavy road underdog.
As for the spread, it’s best to look at the last time Saint Joseph’s played a top-50 KenPom team. They lost 102-79 to Saint Louis on the road earlier this month. VCU is not as good as Saint Louis – see the Rams’ nine-point home loss to the Billikens – but they do boast a similar balance profile. They also have Djokovic back in the fold. The Hawks have finally managed to get hot post-Jones’ departure, but their three straight wins have all come against teams outside the KenPom top 100.
VCU is undefeated against Quad 4 opponents, while Saint Joe’s is winless versus Quad 1, hence the one-sided moneyline odds. Eight of the Rams’ first nine wins came by 15-plus points, but they have yet to win by double-digits in Atlantic 10 play. All five of their conference games have come against teams that are better than the Hawks, though, so this could be their chance to finally notch a runaway A10 victory.
