The Monmouth Hawks (20-5) look to extend their six-game winning streak when they compete against the Rider Broncs (10-15) at Alumni Gymnasium. Action begins at 9:00 pm ET on Friday, Feb. 12 and can be seen on ESU and ES3.
The Broncs fell to Canisius 67-61 in their last matchup. Kahlil Thomas finished with 19 points to lead the team. The Hawks are coming off an 87-61 win against Marist in their last game. Justin Robinson played well for Monmouth, recording 16 points, five assists, and two steals.
Over the last five games, Thomas has taken his game to another level for the Broncs. During that stretch, he has averaged 16.0 points, 9.0 rebounds, 0.6 assists, and 0.8 blocks.
It’s a matchup of two different tempos, as the fast-breaking Hawks (ranked 20th in the nation in possessions per game) square off against the grind-it-out Broncs (314th).
The Broncs come into this game 10-15 Straight Up (SU) and 8-13 Against The Spread (ATS). They are 8-2 ATS over their last 10 games. Rider has averaged 84.5 points per game over the last 10 games, higher than its season average of 67.0. Monmouth has a habit of getting in foul trouble (22.0 fouls per game), so expect the Broncs to get a number of opportunities from the free throw line.
On the other side, Monmouth has a SU record of 20-5 and an ATS record of 16-7. Offensively, they average 81.2 points per game on the road, which is seventh in the country. The Hawks are getting to the foul line at a high rate. Their 467 free throws made ranks ninth in Division I. The last 10 games have really brought out the best of the Hawks on the defensive end. They’ve allowed 66.4 points per game during that span, which is lower than their season average of 72.6. The Monmouth defense has been a problem for competitors, allowing only .386 shooting from the field to its opponents. They average 8.0 steals per game, good for 29th in the nation.
This game marks the season’s first head-to-head clash between Rider and Monmouth. Their previous game was a Broncs victory, moving their SU record against Monmouth to 9-1 in their most recent head-to-head meetings. With a 3-1-1 record, the Broncs also have the advantage ATS. When it comes to field goals, rebounds, or three-pointers, neither team was able to hold the advantage in all three of these categories over their past five meetings against one another.
Predictions: SU Winner – Monm, ATS Winner – Monm
Notes
Monmouth is one of the highest-scoring teams in the nation, averaging 81.0 points per game (ranked 23rd). Rider allows 67.1 points per game (ranked 58th).
Monmouth won its last game by a 26-point margin. In games decided by a margin of 18 points or more, Rider is 3-1. Monmouth is 3-0 in blowouts this season.
Ranked 89th, the Monmouth Hawks have an offensive rating of 109.8. The Rider Broncs rank 145th with a defensive rating of just 101.9.
Rider has an average field goal percentage of 43.2%. Monmouth is an even 4-4 when opponents have a similar or higher field goal percentage.
The Rider Broncs rank higher based on their field goal percentage (225th) than their effective field goal percentage (248th). The Monmouth Hawks rank higher based on their effective field goal percentage (128th) than their field goal percentage (143rd).
Monmouth, the 69th-ranked team in rebounding, registers an average of 38.7 rebounds per game. Rider does worse, ranked 172nd with 36.4.
On average, Rider makes 5.5 steals per game. Monmouth has a stellar 12-4 record when it gives up at least 5 steals.
