UMKC vs St. Thomas (MN) 1/12/23 College Basketball Picks, Predictions, Odds

The St. Thomas Tommies and the UMKC Kangaroos meet Thursday in college basketball action from  Swinney Recreation Center. St. Thomas is 13-6 overall this year. The Tommies beat Omaha in their last game. As for the Roos, they’re sitting at 6-11 after a loss to Oral Roberts on Saturday. Check back all season long for free college basketball picks at Sports Chat Place.

St. Thomas got off to an 8-4 start this year with losses to Creighton, Montana, Utah and Montana State. Since then it’s been a 5-2 run with wins over Green Bay, North Dakota, North Dakota State, Denver and Omaha. 

In the Omaha matchup on Saturday, the Tommies were up 38-35 at the break. St. Thomas posted a 42-33 run in the second half for an 80-68 win. Andrew Rhode led the team on 24 points with eight assists.

Over on the UMKC side, they were 4-8 after 12 games with wins over Calvary, Toledo, Indiana State and Lindenwood. The Roos are 2-3 since then with losses to Green Bay, Denver and Oral Roberts in that time. 

On Saturday versus Oral Roberts, UMKC was up 37-30 by halftime. The Roos were outscored 44-34 in the second half however and lost 74-71. RayQuawndis Mitchell led the team on 23 points, three rebounds and three assists. 

PICK: I’ll probably stay with St. Thomas here. The Tommies have got their offense working pretty well lately; they’ve hit 75 or more points in seven of their last eight outings. St. Thomas has given up 68 or more points in five straight games however, so UMKC should have some scoring opportunities in this one. The Roos could give St. Thomas some trouble if they find an early rhythm. Still, I think the Tommies will be okay on the potential cover/win.