
St. Louis vs Dayton Prediction 1/31/25 College Basketball Picks Today
Dayton (14-7) vs. St. Louis (13-8)
January 31, 2025 7:00 pm EDT
The Line: St. Louis -1.5; Over/Under: 144.5
(Get latest betting odds)
The Dayton Flyers and the Saint Louis Billikens meet Friday in college basketball action from Chaifetz Arena. Here’s a St. Louis vs Dayton Prediction. We will look at this from a betting perspective and determine the best St. Louis vs Dayton pick.
Dayton Flyers Betting Preview
The Flyers have had a couple of rough stretches this season in the record column so far, but overall they’ve been a very consistent team. Dayton opened things up with a winning streak over St. Francis PA, Northwestern, Ball State, Capital, and New Mexico State, then took a couple of consecutive losses versus North Carolina and Iowa State. Another win streak began after that including victories over UConn, Western Michigan, Lehigh, Marquette, and UNLV. Dayton would lose four of their next four games against Cincinnati, George Washington, UMass, and George Mason (with a lone win over La Salle in that time). Since then, however, it’s been a 3-1 stretch for Dayton. They’ve got wins over Loyola Chicago, Duquesne, and Saint Joseph’s ahead of a loss to St. Bonaventure, giving the team a 14-7 overall run through 21 games so far this year.
In the St. Bonaventure game on Tuesday, the Flyers hit a seven-point deficit in the first half. Dayton didn’t end up getting any closer than that, posting a 36-21 run the rest of the way for a 75-53 loss in the end. Tops in scoring was Nate Santos with 12 points and seven rebounds. Enoch Cheeks was the only other player on the team to finish in double-figures with 10 points and two assists with one rebound. Isaac Jack got close however, notching nine points and four rebounds with one assist in 21 minutes of work off the bench in the defeat.
Saint Louis Billikens Betting Preview
Over on the Saint Louis side, they’ve similarly got a rough stretch or two in the books this year. The Billikens likewise have been a strong and consistent team otherwise, though. St. Louis went just 2-2 in their first four games, losing to Santa Clara and Wichita State around wins over Avila and Loyola Marymount. After wins over Quinnipiac, UMass Lowell, and Jackson State in the next three games, the Billikens lost to San Francisco, Illinois State, Wofford, and Grand Canyon (with a win over Chicago State) in their next five. since then it’s been a 7-2 stretch for the Billikens, though. The two losses came from VCU and George Washington. Otherwise, it’s been wins over William Woods, Fordham, Saint Joseph’s, St. Bonaventure, Richmond, La Salle, and VCU in that time. The result so far has been a 13-8 overall record through 21 outings.
Matched up against VCU in their Tuesday game, the Billikens left the locker room with a 31-28 deficit. St. Louis surged in the second half however, posting a 50-38 run on the way to a 78-69 comeback victory. Leading the team in scoring was Gibson Jimerson with 26 points and five rebounds with a pair of steals. Kobe Johnson added 19 points with six rebounds and two blocks, while Robbie Avila had 14 points with seven rebounds and three assists alongside a team-high seven turnovers in 36 minutes of action.
Why the Saint Louis Billikens will win
- Saint Louis has won 11 of its last 12 home games.
- Dayton has lost six of its last eight road games against the Atlantic 10 Conference.
- Saint Louis has won the first half in six of its last seven home games against non-AP-ranked opponents.
Why the Dayton Flyers will win
- Dayton has won seven of its last eight night games against Saint Louis.
- Dayton has won the first half in five of its last six road night games against the Atlantic 10 Conference.
St. Louis vs Dayton Prediction
I’m going to stay with Saint Louis. You could make a case either way here, however; we should have a fun game in store. The Billikens started a little slowly against a good VCU team in their last game, but eventually powered out the win. St. Louis shot 48.8 percent from the field in that one with 37 rebounds and 14 team assist. The one major blemish was the 17 turnover total though, which resulted in 14 VCU points. Everything worked out in the end though, and the 78 points were a promising finish after four straight games with fewer than 65 points scored.
Dayton had scored 77 or more in three straight (all wins) prior to their latest loss, so the Flyers will be a good test for Saint Louis.