College basketball picks: VCU-Saint Louis prediction, odds, spread for February 3

The VCU Rams will hit the road for an important matchup with the Saint Louis Billikens on Friday night from Chaifetz Arena in St. Louis, Missouri. The game will get started at 7:00 p.m. ET and will air on ESPN2 and ESPN+.

Let's take a look at the odds and lines on DraftKings Sportsbook and make some picks.

VCU vs. Saint Louis odds

Spread: Saint Louis -2.5
Over/Under: 141
Moneyline: SLU -140, VCU +120

VCU (17-6, 8-2 Atlantic 10) will enter the night in first place in the conference after winning seven of its last eight games including a 61-59 road win over the Davidson Wildcats on Tuesday night as Adrian Baldwin Jr. went for a team-high 14 points with seven assists, five rebounds and two steals. The Rams rate 78th overall in KenPom as a completely one-sided team with an adjusted defensive efficiency that rates 24th, while the offense is 178th.

Saint Louis (15-7, 7-2 Atlantic 10) is just a half-game behind VCU going into this matchup, and had a six-game winning streak snapped with a 75-65 loss to the Fordham Rams despite Francis Okoro going for 21 points and 11 rebounds. The Billikens are 84th in KenPom with an offense that rates 54th in adjusted efficiency and 139th on the defensive end.

The Pick: Saint Louis -2.5

There's a lot to love about the Billikens in this spot to keep the winners coming. Saint Louis will return home following a loss, so motivation should be there especially when a victory bumps them into first place in the Atlantic 10. The Billikens have the far better offense in this matchup, and this is a time to buy low on them after shooting 22.9% from three and committed 16 turnovers in their last time out, both of which are unusual for this squad.

  
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