The Saint Peter’s Peacocks will be at Draddy Gymnasium to square off against the Manhattan Jaspers in a Metro Atlantic Athletic matchup. The game begins at 8:00 pm ET on Tuesday, Feb. 23 and can be seen on ES3.
The Jaspers enter this game hoping for similar success after beating Quinnipiac 63-59 on Sunday. Shane Richards was the game’s leading scorer with 21 points on 6-for-14 shooting. The Peacocks, meanwhile, are coming off an 82-75 loss to Monmouth on Sunday. Antwon Portley led the game in scoring with 27 points.
This will be the second matchup of the season between these two teams. The Peacocks won the first game 70-69. Despite the loss, Zane Waterman was a top performer in the game with 18 points, seven rebounds, one assist, and one three-pointer.
The Jaspers come into this game 12-14 Straight Up (SU) and 13-11 Against The Spread (ATS). Manhattan has some room to improve after their below-average performances recently. In the last 10 games, Manhattan has only averaged 62.2 points per game compared to the 69.5 they’ve averaged on the season. Manhattan has been steady from the free throw line, shooting a superb .739. The Manhattan defense has been shutting down opposing offenses over the past 10 games, only allowing an average of 66.8 points per game, well under their season average of 73.4. The Jaspers have limited opponents’ efforts from beyond the arc, allowing 5.0 three-pointers made per game. Opponents have consistently had the ball stolen by the Jaspers, who rank 34th in the country in steals per game with 7.8.
On the other side, the Peacocks have 12-15 SU and 14-9 ATS records. Saint Peter’s has done particularly well ATS over its past 10 matchups, going 7-3. The Peacocks are one of the top defensive teams on the road, essentially shutting down opponents to the tune of 69.1 points allowed per away game. The Peacocks are in for a physical game against Manhattan. The Jaspers are not afraid to send opponents to the free throw line, averaging 22.4 fouls per game.
Following the Peacocks’ latest win over Manhattan, Saint Peter’s moved closer to evening up its record against Manhattan. It now stands at 1-9 SU over their most recent meetings. The Jaspers also hold the advantage ATS with a record of 9-1. Neither team was able to hold the edge in field goals, rebounds, or three-pointers over the course of their latest five contests.
Predictions: SU Winner – Manhat, ATS Winner – Manhat
Notes
Manhattan scores an average of just 69.5 points per game (ranked 202nd). Saint Peter’s ranks 61st in points allowed, giving up 67.2 points per game.
On average, Manhattan has 69.3 possessions per game and scores 1.003 points on each possession. Saint Peter’s has both fewer possessions (66.5) and scores fewer points during those possessions (.990).
Manhattan has an average effective field goal percentage of 50.3%. Saint Peter’s is an underachieving 2-11 when opponents have a similar or higher effective field goal percentage.
The Manhattan Jaspers make an average of 7.8 steals per game. The Saint Peter’s Peacocks are 6-7 when they allow 7 or more steals.
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