The Lafayette Leopards will be at Sojka Pavilion to play the Bucknell Bison in a Patriot League matchup. The game starts at 7:30 pm ET on Monday, Jan. 25 and will air on CCS.
The Bison won a close one over Boston University 74-71 on Saturday. Stephen Brown led all scorers on the team with 21 points on 8-for-10 shooting. The Leopards, meanwhile, are coming off an 81-73 loss at the hands of American on Wednesday. Matt Klinewski stood out for Lafayette, posting 16 points, five rebounds, and one steal.
Brown has been playing at a high level as of late for the Bison, averaging 12.8 points, 3.2 rebounds, 6.6 assists, 2.0 steals, and 0.8 three-pointers over the last five games.
When considering eFG%, the Bison figure to have a significant advantage on the offensive end. They rank 34th in the nation in that category at 54.1%, whereas the bottom-tier defense of Lafayette ranks 313th in eFG% with opponents connecting at a clip of 53.0%.
Bucknell is a heavy 15-point favorite in this game and the Over/Under (O/U) is 161 points. The Bison are attempting to build on their records of 10-9 Straight Up (SU) and 1-1 Against The Spread (ATS). They are 7-3 SU and perfect ATS (1-0) in their last 10 games. The Bison have one of the most prolific offenses in the entire nation, averaging 79.7 points per game. The Bison are an incredibly accurate shooting team from three-point range with a .380 three-point field goal percentage, one of the highest marks in Division I.
Across the court, The Leopards have yet to cover the spread in any of their matchups, going 0-1 ATS along with their SU record of 5-13. Recently, opponents have figured out how to slow down Lafayette. Over the past 10 matchups, Lafayette has not been able to cover any of its spreads (0-1 ATS). The Leopards are shooting lights out from the foul line so far, with a .732 free throw percentage that ranks 47th in Division I.
This is the first meeting of the season for these conference rivals. The last time they played, Lafayette came out on top, but Bucknell still leads the head-to-head record, 6-4 SU, over their most recent matchups. However, with a 2-1 record, Lafayette has the advantage ATS. When it comes to field goals, rebounds, and three-pointers, Lafayette held the edge in all three of these categories once in the last five meetings. Bucknell never did so in those games.
Predictions: SU Winner – Buck, ATS Winner – Buck, O/U – Over
Notes
Bucknell averages 79.7 points per game (ranked 48th). Lafayette, on the other hand, allows 81.9 points per game (ranked 341st).
Ranked 90th, the Bucknell Bison have an offensive rating of 109.9. The Lafayette Leopards rank 341st with a defensive rating of just 113.6.
The Lafayette Leopards average a field goal percentage of 42.8% this season. The Bucknell Bison have an abysmal record of 2-7 when opponents have a FG% of 42.8% or greater.
On average, the Bucknell Bison attempt 18.0 three point field goals per game and the Lafayette Leopards attempt 21.0. In games where they attempt at least 20 threes, Bucknell is 5-4, while Lafayette has a losing record of 4-8.
The Lafayette Leopards average 5.7 steals per game. When giving up 5 or more steals, the Bucknell Bison are an even 8-8 this season.
