A defensive struggle can be expected from the Central Connecticut State Blue Devils (4-24) and Fairleigh Dickinson Knights (14-14) when two of the nation’s top scoring defenses battle it out at William H. Detrick Gymnasium. The game gets underway at 3:30 pm ET on Saturday, Feb. 27.
The Blue Devils lost to LIU Brooklyn 80-74 on Thursday. Kevin Seymour finished with 22 points to lead the game. The Knights are coming off a 67-54 win over Mount St. Mary’s on Thursday. Earl Potts Jr. had a good game and claimed his fifth double-double of the season, recording 18 points and 10 rebounds.
Brandon Peel has been playing at a high level as of late for the Blue Devils, averaging 17.2 points, 12.0 rebounds, 1.2 assists, 0.8 steals, and 1.2 blocks over the last five games.
It could be an error-filled game for the Blue Devils offense, which ranks 294th in the nation in ball protection (TO% of 20.4%). They’ll be facing the gambling Fairleigh Dickinson defense, which forces the 25th-most turnovers in the nation (21.9%).
This will be the second matchup of the season between these two teams. The Knights won the first game 92-73. Potts Jr. was a top performer in the victory with 22 points, five rebounds, two assists, three steals, one block, and four three-pointers.
Notes
With 69.2 possessions and .936 points per possession, the Central Connecticut State Blue Devils perform worse on both metrics than the Fairleigh Dickinson Knights. Fairleigh Dickinson averages 72.8 possessions and 1.064 points per possession.
Fairleigh Dickinson has an average effective field goal percentage of 52.0%. Central Connecticut State is a subpar 1-14 when opponents have a similar or higher effective field goal percentage.
Central Connecticut State attempts an average of 16.0 three pointers per game and Fairleigh Dickinson attempts 19.0. In games where they have 20 or more three point attempts, the Central Connecticut State Blue Devils have an abysmal 1-5 record while the Fairleigh Dickinson Knights have a 7-6 record.
Fairleigh Dickinson is one of the top teams in forced turnovers, with opponents averaging a TO% of 21.9% (ranked 25th). Central Connecticut State has an underachieving record of 1-10 SU this season when its TO% reaches 21.9% or greater.
