The Saint Joseph’s Hawks will travel to the Ryan Center to take on the Rhode Island Rams this Tuesday night in College Basketball action.
The Saint Joseph’s Hawks won their 2nd straight game and improved to 7-5 on the season after defeating the George Washington Colonials, 68-63, this past Friday. Saint Joseph’s fought back from a 35-29 halftime margin and took the lead for good when a Charlie Brown three-pointer gave the Hawks a 64-63 lead with 2:25 left to play. Saint Joseph’s was able to shoot 46.6% from the field however, was outrebounded by the Colonials by a 49-29 margin. Leading the way for the Hawks was Charlie Brown who had 13 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal, and a block. On the season, Saint Joseph’s is averaging 72.8 ppg on 42.8% shooting from the field. The Hawks are averaging 6.3 three-pointers per game on 33.2% shooting from beyond the arc. Offensively, Saint Joseph’s has been led by Shavar Newkirk (20.3 ppg, 4.8 rpg, 3.5 apg, 1.3 spg), Lamarr Kimble (14.8 ppg, 4.1 rpg, 4.5 apg), Charlie Brown (11.0 ppg, 5.0 rpg, 1.2 apg, 1.0 spg), and James Demery (10.0 ppg, 6.0 rpg, 2.0 apg, 1.0 apg). Defensively, Saint Joseph’s is allowing their opponents to average 72.0 ppg on 42.9% shooting from the field. The Hawks have a rebound margin of 0.4 and a turnover margin of 2.3. Saint Joseph’s suffered a huge blow as they just found out that leading scorer Shavar Newkirk will miss the rest of the year due to a torn ACL.
The Rhode Island Rams won their 3rd straight game and improved to 9-4 on the season after defeating the Saint Louis Billikens, 90-56, this past Friday. Rhode Island, which is known for their defense, had one of their most impressive offensive performances of the season and had little trouble picking up the victory after taking a 45-28 lead. Rhode Island shot 55.6% from the field and 50.0% (10-20) from beyond the arc. Leading the way for the Rams was Kuran Iverson who had 19 points, 8 rebounds, 4 assists, and 3 blocks. On the season, Rhode Island is averaging 74.7 ppg on 46.5% shooting from the field. The Rams are averaging 6.2 three-pointers per game on 34.5% shooting from beyond the arc. Offensively, Rhode Island has been led by Hassan Martin (16.1 ppg, 8.1 rpg, 3.9 bpg), E.C. Matthews (14.9 ppg, 4.6 rpg, 1.5 apg), Jared Terrell (13.9 ppg, 2.7 rpg, 1.7 apg, 1.1 spg), and Kuran Iverson (8.7 ppg, 6.1 rpg, 1.8 apg). Defensively, Rhode Island is holding their opponents to an average of 64.5 ppg on 40.6% shooting from the field. The Rams have a rebound margin of 4.6 and a turnover margin of 3.1. Rhode Island will be without Hassan Martin who has been out since early December with a quadriceps injury.
The Hawks are 4-0 ATS in their last 4 games vs. A-10 opponents and 5-2 ATS in their last 7 games following a ATS win. The Rams are 15-7 ATS in their last 22 home games vs. a team with a losing road record however, just 5-11-1 ATS in their last 17 games following a straight up win of more than 20 points.
Saint Joseph’s has won 4 of their last 5 games however, the Hawks have struggled a bit offensively this season as they rank just T-209th in scoring offense and 250th in FG%. Rhode Island is one of the better defensive teams in the country and even with missing their big-man, Hassan Martin over the last month, the Rams still currently rank 42nd in scoring defense, 16th in blocks per game, and 48th in turnover margin. Saint Joseph’s suffered a huge blow with losing Shavar Newkirk and as I think the Hawks will have real trouble scoring the ball against a tough Rhode Island team that generally plays well at home, I’m taking the Rams to cover this spread.