Richmond vs Saint Joseph’s 12/30/21 College Basketball Picks, Predictions, Odds

The Saint Joseph’s Hawks will travel to the Robins Center to take on the Richmond Spiders this Thursday night in College Basketball action.

The Saint Joseph’s Hawks had their 2-game winning streak snapped and dropped to 6-5 on the season after being defeated by the Bradley Braves, 77-73, on December 18^th. Saint Joseph’s fought back from a 59-50 defeicit midway through the 2^nd half to make it a competitive game late, however, the Hawks offense struggled down the stretch and could not pick up the victory after being held scoreless over the final 1:18 of regulation. Saint Joseph’s shot 44.8% from the field & 30.8% from beyond the arc while allowing Bradley to shoot 46.6% from the field & 27.3% from beyond the arc. Leading the way for the Hawks was Taylor Funk who had 20 points, 9 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 block, & 1 steal.

On the season, Saint Joseph’s is averaging 71.0 ppg on 42.7% shooting from the field. The Hawks are averaging 8.9 three-pointers per game on 32.7% shooting from beyond the arc. Offensively, Saint Joseph’s has been led by Jordan Hall (16.6 ppg, 6.5 rpg, 6.4 apg, 1.3 spg), Taylor Funk (14.2 ppg, 7.1 rpg, 1.6 apg, 1.2 spg), Ejike Obinna (13.3 ppg, 6.7 rpg), & Erik Reynolds II (8.7 ppg, 1.5 rpg, 1.8 apg).

Defensively, Saint Joseph’s is allowing their opponents to average 70.1 ppg on 42.6% shooting from the field. The Hawks have a rebound margin of 2.9 and a turnover margin of -3.1.

The Richmond Spiders won their 6^th straight game and improved to 9-4 on the season after defeating the Bucknell Bison, 81-50, on December 22^nd. Richmond led by a 37-26 margin at halftime and had no trouble securing the victory after taking a 61-44 lead with 6:21 left in regulation. Richmond shot 53.1% from the field & 32.1% from beyond the arc while holding Bucknell to 38.2% shooting from the field & 31.6% from beyond the arc. Leading the way for the Spiders was Grant Golden who had a double-double with 22 points, 10 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 block, & 3 steals.

On the season, Richmond is averaging 75.1 ppg on 47.0% shooting from the field. The Spiders are averaging 9.5 three-pointers per game on 36.7% shooting from beyond the arc. Offensively, Richmond has been led by Tyler Burton (18.8 ppg, 7.0 rpg), Grant Golden (16.2 ppg, 6.0 rpg, 3.5 apg), Jacob Gilyard (10.4 ppg, 3.8 rpg, 6.5 apg, 3.4 spg), & Nathan Cayo (8.0 ppg, 4.4 rpg, 2.2 apg).

Defensively, Richmond is allowing their opponents to average 69.4 ppg on 44.0% shooting from the field. The Spiders have a rebound margin of -3.9 and a turnover margin of 2.9.

The Hawks are 6-1 ATS in their last 7 games and 4-1 ATS in their last 5 games vs. A-10 opponents. The Spiders are 4-2 ATS in their last 6 games and 5-2 ATS in their last 7 December games.

Saint Joseph’s likes to utilize the three-point shot as they come into this game ranked 76^th in three-pointers made per game, however, the Hawks overall haven’t been great on either end of the court as they currently rank just t-202^nd in scoring offense & 233^rd in scoring defense. Richmond ranks just 204^th in scoring defense, however, the Spiders offense has been solid and come into this game ranked 110^th in scoring offense, 66^th in FG%, & 64^th in 3P-FG%.

Saint Joseph’s isn’t a team that is going to stand out on paper when looking at their statistics, however, this is a better team than what we’ve seen in recent years and have two solid scorers in Jordan Hall & Taylor Funk. Richmond is a tough team to play on the road and has an explosive offense, however, as I think Saint Joseph’s will able to keep this one within single digits, I think the play here is to take Saint Joseph’s and the points. Good Luck!