How to watch Saint Joseph’s vs. VCU basketball game
Halftime Report
VCU is on the road but looking no worse for wear. They have jumped out to a quick 38-32 lead against Saint Joseph’s.
VCU entered the matchup having won three straight and they’re just one half away from another. Will they make it four, or will Saint Joseph’s step up and spoil it? We’ll know soon.
Who’s Playing
VCU Rams @ Saint Joseph’s Hawks
Current Records: VCU 13-4, Saint Joseph’s 11-6
How To Watch
- When: Friday, January 17, 2025 at 7 p.m. ET
- Where: Hagan Arena — Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- TV: ESPN University
- Follow: CBS Sports App
- Online streaming: fuboTV (Try for free. Regional restrictions may apply.)
- Ticket Cost: $50.32
What to Know
Saint Joseph’s will be in front of their home fans on Friday, but a look at the spread shows they might need that home-court advantage. They and the VCU Rams will face off in an Atlantic 10 battle at 7:00 p.m. ET at Hagan Arena. The Hawks are strutting in with some offensive muscle as they’ve averaged 76.8 points per game this season.
Saint Joseph’s is headed in fresh off scoring the most points they have all season. They took their game on Saturday with ease, bagging a 93-57 victory over Loyola Chi. With the Hawks ahead 53-29 at the half, the matchup was all but over already.
Multiple players turned in solid performances to lead Saint Joseph’s to victory, but perhaps none more so than Derek Simpson, who went 7 for 9 en route to 19 points plus six rebounds. The dominant performance also gave Simpson a new career-high in field goal percentage (77.8%). Another player making a difference was Xzayvier Brown, who had 20 points.
Meanwhile, VCU waltzed into their contest on Tuesday with two straight wins… but they left with three. They strolled past the Billikens with points to spare, taking the game 78-62.
VCU’s win was a true team effort, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Joe Bamisile, who posted 23 points. The team also got some help courtesy of Max Shulga, who almost dropped a double-double on 11 points and nine assists.
VCU was working as a unit and finished the game with 18 assists. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Saint Louis only racked up ten.
Saint Joseph’s pushed their record up to 11-6 with the victory, which was their fourth straight at home. As for VCU, they are on a roll lately: they’ve won nine of their last 11 matches, which provided a nice bump to their 13-4 record this season.
Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Saint Joseph’s has crashing the boards this season, having averaged 37.1 rebounds per game. However, it’s not like VCU struggles in that department as they’ve been averaging 38.4. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we’ll see if one team can grab an edge.
Not only did both teams in this Friday’s game win their last matches, they also took care of their bettors and covered the spread. Looking forward, VCU is expected to win a tight contest, barring any buzzer beaters. This contest will be their sixth straight as the favorites (so far over this stretch they are 3-2 against the spread).
Odds
VCU is a slight 1.5-point favorite against Saint Joseph’s, according to the latest college basketball odds.
The oddsmakers had a good feel for the line for this one, as the game opened with the Rams as a 2.5-point favorite.
The over/under is 141.5 points.
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Series History
VCU has won 8 out of their last 10 games against Saint Joseph’s.
- Mar 16, 2024 – VCU 66 vs. Saint Joseph’s 60
- Feb 25, 2024 – VCU 73 vs. Saint Joseph’s 69
- Feb 21, 2023 – VCU 88 vs. Saint Joseph’s 63
- Jan 22, 2022 – VCU 70 vs. Saint Joseph’s 54
- Dec 30, 2020 – VCU 80 vs. Saint Joseph’s 64
- Jan 21, 2020 – VCU 73 vs. Saint Joseph’s 60
- Mar 08, 2019 – VCU 75 vs. Saint Joseph’s 63
- Jan 03, 2018 – Saint Joseph’s 87 vs. VCU 81
- Feb 14, 2017 – VCU 91 vs. Saint Joseph’s 81
- Mar 13, 2016 – Saint Joseph’s 87 vs. VCU 74
