Metro Atlantic Athletic foes will collide when the Fairfield Stags (8-8) play the Niagara Purple Eagles (5-12) at Arena at Harbor Yard. Action begins at 7:00 pm ET on Friday, Jan. 15.
The Stags are hoping to rebound after their 86-74 loss to Monmouth on Monday. Curtis Cobb had a good outing, putting up 16 points, nine rebounds, and three assists for Fairfield. The Niagara Purple Eagles, meanwhile, are coming off a 55-53 win against Manhattan on Saturday. Matt Scott claimed his third double-double of the season with 11 points and 13 rebounds.
It will be a showdown of conflicting tempos, as the fast-paced Stags (ranked 16th in the nation in possessions per game) will look to push the slow-paced Purple Eagles (294th in possessions per game).
The Stags have gone 8-8 Straight Up (SU) and 5-6 Against The Spread (ATS). The Stags are one of the best in Division I in terms of three-point field goals, making 9.0 shots per game from beyond the arc. Fairfield is one of the best passing teams in the nation with an average of 16.3 assists per game.
As for their opponent, the Niagara Purple Eagles are a good bet so far, with a respectable record of 8-5-1 ATS. Their SU record, 5-12, hasn’t been quite as good.
This game marks the season’s first head-to-head clash between these conference foes. Their previous game was a Purple Eagles victory, bringing the head-to-head record to an even 5-5 SU over their most recent meetings. With a 7-3 record, the Purple Eagles have the advantage ATS. During their latest five matchups, neither team ever held the advantage in field goals, rebounds, or three-pointers.
Predictions: SU Winner – Fair, ATS Winner – Fair
Notes
Fairfield is 6-2 SU in its last 8 games at home.
Fairfield is 2-7 ATS in its last 9 games when playing Niagara.
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Fairfield’s last 5 games when playing Niagara.
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Fairfield’s last 6 games when playing at home against Niagara.
In its last game, Niagara won by a margin of two points. Fairfield is 1-0 in games decided by a margin of three points or less. Niagara has a 3-1 record in close games.
Fairfield has an average field goal percentage of 45.4%. Niagara is a subpar 1-5 when opponents have a similar or higher field goal percentage.
The Fairfield Stags rank lower for their field goal percentage (104th) than they do for their effective field goal percentage (62nd), but the Niagara Purple Eagles have a better FG% ranking (310th) than eFG% ranking (322nd).
Fairfield ranks 44th in assists, registering 16.3 per game. Niagara performs worse at 311th with 11.4 assists per game.
Fairfield has forced an average turnover percentage of 18.0% this season. Niagara has a losing 4-11 record when its TO% is 18.0% or higher.
