Villanova forward Saddiq Bey (15) and forward Dhamir Cosby-Roundtree (21) reach for a rebound with Saint Joseph’s guard Lamarr Kimble (0) during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game, Saturday, Dec. 8, 2018, in Villanova, Pa. (AP Photo/Laurence Kesterson)
(AP Photo/Laurence Kesterson)
(AP Photo/Laurence Kesterson)
This will mark the 17th time in history that Saint Joseph’s will be facing a Big 5 foe attempting to complete a perfect 4-0 City Series record. The Hawks are 8-8 in the previous 16 games.
Penn is 5-1 all-time when trying to complete a 4-0 -- and our gut is that they will do so -- but SJU will not go down without a fight, especially with A10 leading scorer Charlie Brown, who is coming off a 31-point performance against Richmond and has made 34 of his last 36 free throws.
Over their last four games, the Hawks are playing much better after intermission (+20) than in the first half (-27), so we are going with that.
Pick: Saint Joseph’s Second Half +2.5 (-110)