7:00 p.m. ET – Saint Louis (-5½) at Dayton O/U:136
| Teams | Spread | Money Line | Total Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| Saint Louis | -5½ (-110) | -235 | O 136 (-105) |
| Dayton | +5½ (-110) | +190 | U 136 (-115) |
The 11-3 Billikens travel to Dayton, Ohio to take on the 11-7 Flyers on Friday night. Saint Louis has won four straight since losing its first two games back from a 34-day COVID-19 induced break. The Billikens defeated La Salle on Tuesday, 78-57, in large part due to shooting over 52 percent from the field. Dayton suffered a heartbreaking defeat to Rhode Island in overtime on Tuesday. The Flyers had an 18-point lead with under 10 minutes remaining, but were unable to close the game out. These two teams met on Jan. 26, when the Flyers defeated the Billikens 76-71. There were clear signs of rust in the previous matchup, where the Billikens shot 23 percent from three point range.
Saint Louis guard Javonte Perkins leads the team in scoring with 17.9 points per game. Perkins had 20 points in the first matchup on 8-of-18 shooting from the field. Dayton is led by guard Jalen Crutcher averaging 18.9 points and 4.8 assists per game. Crutcher had 27 pts in the previous matchup on 8-of-14 shooting from the field to lead the Flyers to the upset.
Dayton took advantage of the Billikens’ rust in the first meeting between these two and erupted with a 40-point second-half outburst that triggered the update. It was obvious the Billikens found their groove eventually and simply ran out of time to complete the comeback. Saint Louis has returned to its pre-break form that gained the program entry into the Associated Press Top 25 poll earlier this season.
