Metro Atlantic Athletic foes will lock horns when the Siena Saints (16-9) face off against the Canisius Golden Griffins (11-14) at Times Union Center. Action begins at 7:00 pm ET on Thursday, Feb. 11 and can be seen on EFC and ES3.
The Saints are hoping to rebound after their 79-73 loss to Marist on Sunday. Nico Clareth was the game’s leading scorer with 26 points. The Golden Griffins, meanwhile, are coming off a 67-61 win against Rider on Sunday. Kassius Robertson led the team in scoring by accounting for 19 points on 7-for-11 shooting.
Over the last five games, Brett Bisping has taken his game to another level for the Saints, averaging 18.4 points, 12.4 rebounds, 1.6 assists, 0.6 steals, and 1.4 three-pointers.
Siena could dominate the offensive glass in this matchup, as it’s ranked 16th in the nation in OR% at 37.7%. Alternatively, Canisius ranks 311th in the nation on the defensive backboards with a DR% of 66.8%.
This is the second game of the year between these two teams, with the Saints winning the first matchup 99-78. Lavon Long had a standout performance in the victory, putting up 25 points, four rebounds, eight assists, one steal, and one block.
The Saints have gone 16-9 Straight Up (SU) and 10-8-1 Against The Spread (ATS). The Saints have seen a decline in scoring as of late, averaging 67.6 points during the last 10 games compared to their season average of 77.4 points per game. The Saints are one of the best in Division I in terms of free throws made, making an impressive 17.0 per game. The rebounding edge goes to the Saints in this matchup, who are one of the top rebounding teams in the nation with an average of 39.6 boards per game. Crossing over to the defensive side of the court, the Saints prevent teams from making three-pointers, ranking 48th in the nation with a .314 opponent field-goal percentage from three-point range. Opponents have consistently had their shots rejected by the Saints, ranking 37th in the country in blocks per game with 5.0.
In the other locker room, the Golden Griffins have records of 9-12-1 ATS and 11-14 SU. The Golden Griffins rely heavily on three-pointers on offense, ranking 28th in the nation with 221 made (8.0 per game). The Golden Griffins average 79.2 points allowed per game, but have improved upon those numbers in the past 10 games, allowing 70.3 points per game during that span.
The Saints’ win over Canisius in their last game wasn’t enough for them to overtake Canisius in their recent head-to-head series. Their record is now 4-6 SU over the most recent meetings. Furthermore, Canisius holds the advantage ATS with a record of 5-3-2. Siena and Canisius each held the advantage in field goals, rebounds, and three-pointers once over the last five matchups.
Predictions: SU Winner – Siena, ATS Winner – Siena
Notes
“Siena is 5-2 SU in its last 7 games “.
“The total has gone OVER in 4 of Siena’s last 6 games “.
“Siena is 11-1 SU in its last 12 games at home”.
“The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Siena’s last 7 games at home”.
“Siena is 1-5-1 ATS in its last 7 games when playing Canisius”.
“Siena is 15-7 SU in its last 22 games when playing Canisius”.
“Siena is 1-6 SU in its last 7 games when playing Canisius”.
“Siena is 1-4-1 ATS in its last 6 games when playing at home against Canisius”.
“Siena is 17-3 SU in its last 20 games when playing at home against Canisius”.
“The total has gone OVER in 4 of Siena’s last 6 games when playing at home against Canisius”.
“The total has gone OVER in 4 of Canisius’s last 6 games when playing on the road against Siena”.
Siena averages 77.4 points per game (ranked 70th). Canisius, on the other hand, allows 79.2 points per game (ranked 234th).
Siena scores 79.4 points per home game (ranked 99th). Canisius ranks a poor 198th in points allowed on the road, allowing 78.5 points.
Ranked 90th, the Canisius Golden Griffins have an offensive rating of 109.7. The Siena Saints rank 135th with a defensive rating of just 101.5.
The Canisius Golden Griffins average a field goal percentage of 41.9% this season. The Siena Saints have split their games this season (6-6) when opponents have a FG% of 41.9% or greater.
The Siena Saints rank higher based on their field goal percentage (63rd) than their effective field goal percentage (113th). The Canisius Golden Griffins rank higher based on their effective field goal percentage (230th) than their field goal percentage (274th).
Canisius ranks 96th in assists, recording 14.7 per game. Siena performs worse at 134th with 14.0 assists per game.
Siena, the 37th-ranked team in blocked shots, records an average of 5.0 per game. Canisius does worse, ranked 286th with 2.5.
Siena ranks 43rd in offensive rebounding. Canisius ranks 344th in defensive rebounding.
The Canisius Golden Griffins make an average of 6.3 steals per game. When the Siena Saints give up 6 or more steals, they are a winning 13-6.
