VCU vs. Saint Louis: 2020-21 college basketball game preview, TV schedule

Fresh off disappointing losses, two of the top teams in the Atlantic 10 in the VCU Rams and Saint Louis Billikens will meet in a pivotal showdown.

TV schedule: Tuesday, February 23rd, 6:00 pm ET. CBSSN

Arena: Siegel Center in Richmond, Virginia

With the Atlantic 10 race heating up, Tuesday will showcase a duel between two mid-major powers in the VCU Rams and the Saint Louis Billikens – in a duel that has major implications on both teams’ at-large aspirations.

The Rams (16-5) – currently sitting in a tie for first with St. Bonaventure – are coming off their first loss in a month, having fallen at home in overtime to George Mason on Saturday, 79-76.  With wins over Dayton, St. Bonaventure, Richmond, Utah State, and Memphis under their belt, the Rams currently sit as the highest-ranked A-10 team in the latest NET rankings (35th) and are still firmly on the bubble.

The loss to George Mason hurts their aspirations – but even more concerning, particularly entering this tilt with Saint Louis, is the loss of Nah’Shon Hyland.  After leading his team with 17 points, Hyland went down with an injury late in the second half – in what has been diagnosed as a right foot sprain.  VCU saw three other players reach double-digits – Vince Williams (15), Jamir Watkins (13), and Adrian Baldwin (12) – but the loss of Hyland, the favorite for A-10 Player of the Year, hurts VCU’s offense drastically moving forward.

The Rams had stellar success inside and at the line, going 21-40 (52.5%) on two-pointers and 19-21 (90.5%) from the charity stripe – all the while forcing 20 George Mason turnovers and snagging 13 steals.  Contrarily, however, VCU suffered in those exact same areas, allowing the Patriots to go 26-47 (55.3%) inside the arc and 18-25 (72.0%) on freebies while forcing 19 VCU miscues and hauling down a whopping 15 offensive rebounds.

That does not bode well for the Rams considering they are now lining up against a team that thrives on inside play and on the offensive glass – but is also coming off an extremely disappointing loss.  The Billikens (11-4) are still playing catch-up from their month-long COVID-19 pause, and appeared primed to be returning to their pre-pause dominance – but a 76-53 blowout loss at the hands of Dayton on Friday sent a blow to Saint Louis’ at-large aspirations.

Little went well for the Billikens against the Flyers.  Zero players reached double-digits, with Terrence Hargrove Jr. – off the bench – leading the way for Saint Louis with eight points.  The Billikens hauled down a whopping 21 offensive rebounds – but scored just 10 points on second-chance points.  Saint Louis – a team that has relied substantially on two-pointers – shot just 30.8% (12-39) inside while allowing Dayton to record a 60.7% clip in the same area.

The loss snapped a four-game win streak that saw the Billikens shoot 50.7% inside the perimeter and scoop up significant wins over St. Bonaventure and URI, all the while star guard Jordan Goodwin recorded averages of 13.5 points, 10.5 rebounds, 5.25 assists, and 2.5 steals.  For additional context on just how disastrous Saint Louis’ game against Dayton was: Goodwin scored a season-low seven points – his lowest output since February 1st, 2020 – on 3-16 shooting while turning the ball over three times.

With Hyland out, VCU will face an incredibly daunting task – particularly in replacing a player who takes 31.7% of the Rams’ shots when he is in and is involved in 27.7% of their possessions.  Additionally, VCU’s reliance on forcing turnovers may not be nearly as effective, considering the Billikens turn the ball over on just 15.8% of their possessions – the 2nd-best mark in the A-10.  For context: the Rams forced Richmond – the conference’s best in not turning the ball over – to commit just six turnovers.

VCU’s saving grace may be their 2PT defense, where they hold A-10 teams to just 46.5% inside, which ranks third in the conference.  Their success inside may end there against the Billikens, however, considering the Rams allow conference squads to haul down an offensive rebound on 31.8% of their attempts – which ranks dead last in the A-10.

Both teams are still squarely on the bubble – albeit VCU is in a much better spot than the Billikens.  Saint Louis desperately needs a resume-boosting win, particularly with few opportunities left – while the Rams may have a little bit of leeway with Hyland’s injury, but a win over the Billikens would do wonders for their at-large aspirations.  All signs, however – particularly with Hyland out – point to this being a Saint Louis win.

Prediction: Saint Louis 74 – VCU 66