The rebuilding Saint Joseph's Hawks hope to complete a season sweep when they travel to meet rival Davidson on Friday in an important Atlantic 10 battle. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET from John M. Belk Arena. St. Joe's is in the midst of a down year and isn't contending for any sort of postseason berth, but it can potentially spoil Davidson's conference title hopes. The Wildcats enter Friday tied with VCU for first place in the standings and have won six of their past seven. But they were handed their first conference loss by St. Joe's on Jan. 15. The Wildcats are 10-point sportsbook favorites and the over-under for total points scored is 138 in the latest St. Joseph's vs. Davidson odds. Before you lock in your St. Joseph's vs. Davidson picks, listen to what the SportsLine Projection Model has to say.
The model, which simulates every game 10,000 times, has raked in the winnings for those following its picks. Over the past two years, the SportsLine Projection Model has returned more than $5,200 to $100 players on its top-rated college basketball picks. It also entered Week 15 of the 2018-19 college basketball season on a blistering 99-67 run on top-rated college basketball picks against the spread. Anyone who has followed it is way up.
Now, it has locked in on the St. Joseph's vs. Davidson spread and crunched the numbers. We can tell you model is leaning to the over, and it has also generated a point-spread selection that hits well over 50 percent of the time. The pick is available at SportsLine.
The model knows the Wildcats have long been known for their explosive offense, going back to the Steph Curry glory days. However, this year's club is getting the job done on the defensive end. Davidson ranks No. 34 nationally in scoring defense and No. 31 in field-goal defense. The Wildcats have not allowed any conference opponents to reach 70 points.
The Wildcats also have recent history on their side as the home team is on a 6-1 run against the spread in this rivalry. Davidson also has covered seven of its last nine home games, while St. Joe's is 1-8 against the spread in road contests this season.
But just because the Wildcats come in hot doesn't mean they are assured of covering against a St. Joe's club that seems to save its best performances for this rivalry.
The Hawks not only won the first meeting, but they are on a 20-6 run against the spread following a 20-plus point loss at home. Such will be the case Friday as they will look to bounce back from a 76-51 home loss to St. Bonaventure. But in its prior outing, the youth-laden club had one of its best performances of the season in a 91-61 blowout over St. Louis.
In the first matchup with Davidson, the Hawks held their rival to 39.3 percent shooting from the field, made 10 3-pointers and forced 15 turnovers. Chris Clover led the way with 18 points, including what proved to be the game-winning jumper with about a minute left. Freshman Jared Bynum added 12 points and nine assists.
Who wins Saint Joseph's vs. Davidson? And which side of the spread cashes in well over 50 percent of simulations? Visit SportsLine now to find out which side of the spread you should be all over Friday, all from the model that has returned more than $5,000 to $100 players the last two years.