The Niagara Purple Eagles will travel to Carnesecca Arena to take on the St. John’s Red Storm. Action gets underway at 5:00 pm ET on Wednesday, Dec. 9 and will air on FS1.
The Red Storm enter this game hoping for similar success after beating St. Francis Brooklyn 63-56 on Sunday. With 17 points and 10 rebounds, Yankuba Sima recorded his first double-double this season. The Purple Eagles, meanwhile, are feeling some disappointment after their 56-42 loss at the hands of Monmouth on Sunday. Justin Satchell played well for Niagara, recording two points, four rebounds, and two steals.
This one isn’t expected to be close when St. John’s, a heavy 11-point favorite, takes on Niagara. According to the oddsmakers, the Over/Under (O/U) is currently 134 points. The Red Storm are looking to build on their records of 5-3 Straight Up (SU) and 2-5 Against The Spread (ATS). The Red Storm are the sixth-best team in the country at blocking shots, averaging 6.6 blocks per game.
On the other side, the Purple Eagles head into the game with records of 4-4 ATS and 3-6 SU.
This is the first meeting of the season for St. John’s and Niagara. The last time they played, St. John’s came out on top, moving its SU record against the Purple Eagles to 6-2. On the other hand, with a 5-3 record, Niagara has the advantage ATS.
Predictions: SU Winner – StJn, ATS Winner – StJn, O/U – Over
Notes
St. John’s is 1-5 ATS in its last 6 games.
St. John’s 10-0-1 SU in its last 11 games at home.
St. John’s is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games when playing Niagara.
St. John’s is 6-1 SU in its last 7 games when playing at home against Niagara.
St. John’s has an average field goal percentage of 42.7%. Niagara is a losing 1-4 when opponents have a similar or higher field goal percentage.
The St. John’s Red Storm and the Niagara Purple Eagles both rank higher in average field goal percentage when compared to their effective field goal percentages. St. John’s is 229th and 221st in the nation for eFG% and FG% respectively, while Niagara ranks 280th and 268th in these categories.
St. John’s, the sixth-ranked team in blocked shots, records an average of 6.6 per game. Niagara ranks lower at 162nd with 3.6.
On average, Niagara forces a turnover rate of 16.7%. When St. John’s turns over the ball at a similar or higher rate, the team has a winning 5-2 record.
