The Central Connecticut State Blue Devils (4-22) will have their chance to bring down the Northeast’s best team when they play the Wagner Seahawks (17-9) at William H. Detrick Gymnasium. The game gets underway at 1:00 pm ET on Saturday, Feb. 20 and will air on ES3.
The Blue Devils were victorious over Mount St. Mary’s 76-72 on Thursday. Brandon Peel played a key role, recording 20 points and 12 rebounds to notch his 13th double-double this season. The Seahawks, meanwhile, are coming off a 94-74 win over Fairleigh Dickinson on Thursday. JoJo Cooper had a good game, posting 12 points and 12 rebounds to claim his first double-double of the season.
Over the last five games, Peel has really been playing well for the Blue Devils. During that stretch, he has averaged 17.4 points, 12.8 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 0.6 steals, and 2.6 blocks.
The inefficient offense of Central Connecticut State (336th in the nation with an offensive efficiency of 93.4) will square off against the top-notch defense of Wagner (34th in the nation with a defensive efficiency of 96.1). The Seahawks figure to have the advantage on that end of the court.
This will be the second matchup of the season between these two teams. The Seahawks won the first game 70-48. Corey Henson was a top performer in the victory with 18 points, two rebounds, three assists, three steals, and two three-pointers.
Notes
In its last game, Wagner won by a margin of 20 points. Central Connecticut State is 0-8 in games decided by a margin of 18 points or more. Wagner has a 6-1 record in blowouts.
The Central Connecticut State Blue Devils average 69.3 possessions per game and .934 points per possession, while the Wagner Seahawks earn fewer possessions (67.2) but more points per possession (1.044).
The Wagner Seahawks average an effective field goal percentage of 47.4% this season. The Central Connecticut State Blue Devils have an underachieving record of 1-18 when opponents have an eFG% of 47.4% or greater.
Central Connecticut State attempts an average of 16.0 three pointers per game and Wagner attempts 18.0. In games where they have 20 or more three point attempts, the Central Connecticut State Blue Devils have a losing 1-4 record while the Wagner Seahawks have a 7-6 record.
When it comes to offensive rebounds, Wagner ranks 12th. Central Connecticut State ranks 221st in defensive rebounds.
On average, Central Connecticut State forces a turnover rate of 15.5%. When Wagner turns over the ball at a similar or higher rate, the team has a winning 13-7 record.
