The Saint Joseph’s Hawks will look to knock off its second straight opponent from the Lone Star State as they meet the Texas Longhorns in the final of the Legends Classic at Barclays Center in New York on Friday night.
The Hawks looked impressive in their semifinal win over the Texas Tech Red Raiders, which is why I like them to cover tonight in my Texas vs. Saint Joseph’s predictions and college basketball picks for November 22.
Texas vs Saint Joseph's prediction
My best bet
Saint Joseph’s +7.5 (-110 at bet365)
My analysis
Both the Texas Longhorns and the Saint Joseph’s Hawks survived late scares to pull off their first-round wins on Thursday in New York. The Longhorns had a 16-point lead in the second half over the Syracuse Orange but needed a string of late free throws from Tre Johnson to get the win over a team they were expected to get past without much trouble.
In the other semifinal, Saint Joseph’s came in as a 10.5-point underdog but nearly lost its own 16-point lead before holding on for the 78-77 victory over Texas Tech. The Hawks were led by Erik Reynolds II, who scored 26 points to lead the team to its biggest win of the year.
St. Joseph’s got out to a weak start to the season, winning an unexpectedly close game against the Navy Midshipmen before dropping a stunner to the Central Connecticut Blue Devils, 73-67. Since then, however, the Hawks are 3-0 with wins over the Villanova Wildcats and Pennsylvania Quakers, along with the triumph over Texas Tech.
The Hawks have played reasonably well on both sides of the ball, as the wins over Villanova and Texas Tech showed. They’ve held every opponent this year to 77 points or fewer, an impressive number against a Red Raiders team that rates in the Top 20 in offensive rating according to KenPom.com. On the offensive end, Saint Joseph’s is shooting a solid 36.2% from 3-point range, led by Reynolds but supported by players like Rasheer Fleming (45.0% from beyond the arc) and Anthony Finkley (53.8%).
That shooting is what should keep the Hawks in tonight’s game. While Texas has been excellent on defense, holding opponents to 61.2 ppg, they have been vulnerable against the 3-pointer, allowing them to be hit at a 32.8% clip.
I’m more concerned about the Longhorns' offense, however. They shot just 46.6% against an awful Syracuse defense last night, and just 26.7% from 3-point range. Texas will now face a deeper St. Joseph’s team that is better defensively.
If Texas couldn’t put away the Orange, I’m not sure how we can expect them to blow out a St. Joseph’s team that just beat a very good Texas Tech squad. Texas has only looked impressive against overmatched opposition this season, and much more average against solid teams. The Longhorns may well escape with another win, but I like the Hawks to cover.
Texas vs Saint Joseph's same-game parlay
Saint Joseph’s +7.5
Under 149.5
Erik Reynolds II Under 17.5 points
Saint Joseph’s should be able to hang around in a relatively low-scoring affair tonight, and that makes it easy to come up with a solid same-game parlay. I’ll combine the Hawks to cover with the Under at 149.5 points, as both teams have been averaging lower totals. Texas is playing too well on defense to expect Saint Joseph’s to continue its recent run of hitting the Over.
In that same vein, I’ll also take Saint Joseph’s guard Erik Reynolds II to go Under his scoring prop of 17.5 points. The senior is averaging 16.8 ppg, but that was boosted heavily by his 26-point outburst against Texas Tech last night. Against the Longhorns, he should struggle to go off like that again, and there simply won’t be that many points to go around in this game.
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Texas vs Saint Joseph's odds
Texas vs Saint Joseph's live odds
Texas vs Saint Joseph's opening odds
- Spread: Texas -8.5 | Saint Joseph's +8.5
- Moneyline: Texas -385 | Saint Joseph's +309
- Over/Under: Over 149.5 | Under 149.5
Odds courtesy of bet365
Texas vs Saint Joseph's betting trend to know
Saint Joseph’s is 3-0 ATS in its last three games overall. Find more college basketball betting trends for Texas vs. Saint Joseph's.
How to watch Texas vs Saint Joseph's
| Location: | Barclays Center, Brooklyn, NY |
| Date: | Friday, 11-22-2024 |
| Tip-off: | 9:00 p.m. ET |
| TV: | ESPNU |
Texas vs Saint Joseph's key injuries
Not intended for use in MA.
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