Posted on 2/28/2008 3:32:45 PM

NCAA Basketball Betting - SAINT LOUIS at ST. JOSEPH'S

By Charles Jay

BetUS NCAA basketball betting odds: ST. JOE'S -12, Total 127.5

The Hawks of St. Joseph's (17-8 SU, 15-8 ATS) need to turn things on a little as the finish line approaches in the Atlantic 10. On Thursday night they will stay at home and play host to the Saint Louis Billikens (15-12 SU, 11-12 ATS) in a key conference game that is set to tip off at 7 PM ET at the Alumni Fieldhouse in Philadelphia.

In the BetUS NCAAB betting odds, St. Joseph's is listed as a 12-point favorite, with a total of 127.5 points.

Here are some of the NCAA basketball betting trends as they relate to this matchup:

* STL has played five of its last six games OVER the total

* STL has covered two of its last eight road games

* STL has lost eight of its last 10 games SU

* STL has played four of its last five road games OVER the total

* STJ has covered five of its last seven games

* STJ has won 13 of its last 17 games SU

* STJ has played four of its last five games OVER the total

* STJ has covered four of its last six home games

* STJ has won five of its last six home games SU

* STJ has played four of its last five home games UNDER the total

It's an anxious time for St. Joe's for sure. The Hawks are firmly on the NCAA "bubble," as no one really knows how many tournament bids are going to come out of the Atlantic 10. As one of the top teams in the conference, St. Joe's has a real shot, but this would have to be a "must-win' game because a home game against ranked Xavier and a road trip to Dayton are on the horizon.

Saint Louis may be in a bad place at a bad time. Rick Majerus' team is very hard to trust on the road, where it has covered just four times in ten tries this season. And the Billikens average only 53.6 points a game on the road, which ranks 334th in the country, in case you didn't know there were actually that many Division I teams playing basketball.

If you use the Hawks' last three games as a barometer, it looks as if hey are just too sharp on offense for Saint Louis to keep up right now. St. Joe's has shot 58%, 63% and 62% in those three contests, and this team can be potent enough from three-point range (averaging eight per game) to extend the lead if the situation arises.

We'll lay the points with St. Joseph's, the 12-point favorite in the BetUS NCAA basketball betting odds.

JAY'S PLAY: ST. JOSEPH'S

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(Charles Jay of http://www.eBookies.com gives it the old college try as a regular contributor to the BetUS Locker Room)