Brendan O’Sullivan takes you through his preview, prediction and pick for tonight’s college basketball game between VCU and Saint Louis.

The top two teams in the A-10 will face off for the second time this season. Saint Louis is ranked 18th in the country and is just 0.5 games ahead of unranked VCU in the A-10.

The Billikens are 24-2 overall and 12-1 in the A-10, while the Rams are 21-6 and 12-2. Saint Louis won the first matchup 71-62.

VCU is an 8.5-point underdog on DraftKings Sportsbook. The game total is set at 165.5 points.

Here’s my prediction, preview and pick for Friday’s VCU vs. Saint Louis matchup.

VCU vs. Saint Louis prediction, preview

The A-10 doesn’t always get multiple NCAA Tournament bids, so the winner of the conference championship is often the only representative. That makes seeding ahead of the conference tournament so important.

VCU and Saint Louis are atop the A-10 with Saint Louis winning the first round between the clubs. If VCU wins this matchup, it will overtake the top seed with a few games remaining in the regular season.

The Rams have been cruising through conference play, winning 10 straight with six by at least nine points. Their last two losses came against George Mason on the road and Saint Louis at home.

The Billikens lost their first conference game on Tuesday to Rhode Island. It ended an 18-game win streak spanning before conference play began. If this is an indication of a losing streak, the Billikens are in trouble. Another loss would drop them from first place and almost certainly take them off the Top 25.

More than likely, however, Saint Louis will bounce back. The team hasn’t lost at home this year and only dropped the Rhode Island game by five points. That may have been what the team needed to reset its rhythm prior to March Madness.

VCU vs. Saint Louis pick, best bet

This is a massive conference game for the A-10. The momentum is on VCU’s side, but Saint Louis returns home for this game—a location in which it hasn’t lost this year. Furthermore, the Billikens won the last matchup 71-62, covering this 8.5-point spread.

Saint Louis will pick up another win and avoid a two-game losing streak. It’ll do it in dominant fashion, too, winning by at least 8.5 points.

Best bet: Saint Louis -8.5 (-110)