Metro Atlantic Athletic foes will battle when the Fairfield Stags (12-11) play the Manhattan Jaspers (9-11) at Webster Bank Arena at Harbor Yard. The game starts at 3:30 pm ET on Sunday, Feb. 7.
The Stags were blown out by Monmouth 91-67 on Friday. Tyler Nelson finished with 19 points to lead the game. The Jaspers, meanwhile, are coming off a 65-57 win against Rider on Tuesday. Shane Richards led the game in scoring by accounting for 28 points on 8-for-13 shooting.
Nelson has been playing at a high level over the last five games for the Stags. During that stretch, he has averaged 19.4 points, 2.6 rebounds, 2.6 assists, 1.2 steals, and 1.8 three-pointers.
This will be the second matchup of the season between these two teams. The Jaspers won the first game 72-66. Despite the loss, Nelson had a standout performance with 19 points, five rebounds, two assists, three steals, and four three-pointers.
The Stags come into this game 12-11 Straight Up (SU) and 8-10 Against The Spread (ATS). The Stags have seen a decline in scoring as of late, averaging 70.5 points during the last 10 games compared to their season average of 78.4 points per game. Spreading the ball around is a huge part of Fairfield’s offense. They are 45th in the nation in assists with an average of 15.9 per game. Fairfield’s defense has put it all together in the past 10 games. Its average points allowed per game dropped to 69.7 during that span, compared to its 80.1 season average. Expect Fairfield to have lots of opportunities at the line against the Jaspers, who are one of the most foul-prone teams in the nation with an average of 22.8 fouls per game.
On the other side, the Jaspers head into the game with records of 8-10 ATS and 9-11 SU. Offensively, the Jaspers have really picked up the pace in the last 10 games. They have exceeded their season average of 68.5 points per game by averaging 75.9 during that stretch. Shifting to the other side of the court, they average 7.5 steals per game, good for 49th in the nation.
The Jaspers’ win over Fairfield in their last clash moved their SU record in the most recent matchups against Fairfield to 6-4. At 5-5, they are even ATS. Fairfield has led in three key areas (field goals, rebounds, and three-pointers) once over the last five matchups. Manhattan has never had the edge in all three categories.
Predictions: SU Winner – Fair, ATS Winner – Fair
Notes
Fairfield averages 78.4 points per game (ranked 58th). Manhattan, on the other hand, allows 73.5 points per game (ranked 179th).
In its last game, Fairfield lost by a margin of 24 points. Manhattan is 0-4 in games decided by a margin of 18 points or more. Fairfield has a 1-3 record in blowouts.
Fairfield has an average field goal percentage of 44.8%. Manhattan is a losing 5-8 when opponents have a similar or higher field goal percentage.
The Fairfield Stags and the Manhattan Jaspers both rank higher in average effective field goal percentage when compared to their field goal percentages. Fairfield is 134th and 75th in the nation for FG% and eFG% respectively, while Manhattan is 250th and 181st in these categories.
Fairfield ranks 45th in assists, registering 15.9 per game. Manhattan performs worse at 125th with 14.2 assists per game.
On average, Manhattan makes 7.5 steals per game. Fairfield is a poor 4-7 when it allows at least 7 steals.
