The Manhattan Jaspers (11-12) travel to Multipurpose Activity Center to play the Monmouth Hawks (21-5), the best team in the Metro Atlantic Athletic. The game starts at 8:00 pm ET on Monday, Feb. 15 and can be seen on ES3.
The Hawks won a close one over Rider 79-78 on Friday. Justin Robinson led all scorers on the team with 21 points on 8-for-16 shooting. The Jaspers, meanwhile, are coming off an 81-73 win over Marist on Saturday. RaShawn Stores had a solid game for Manhattan, posting 18 points, three steals, and three assists.
This will be the second matchup of the season between these two teams. The Jaspers won the first game 78-71. Calvin Crawford was a standout player in the game, producing 20 points, six rebounds, one assist, one steal, three blocks, and two three-pointers.
The Hawks are looking to build on their records of 21-5 Straight Up (SU) and 16-8 Against The Spread (ATS). The Hawks come into the game with the 22nd-ranked scoring offense in the nation, averaging 81.0 points per game. The Hawks are one of the best in Division I in terms of field-goal percentage, shooting a superb .390 from beyond the arc. Crossing over to the defensive side of the court, opposing offenses have been stifled by the Hawks, who allow a field goal percentage of only .389. The Hawks are the 25th-best team in the country at taking the ball away from their opponents, averaging 8.1 steals per game.
As for their opponent, Manhattan has a SU record of 11-12 and an ATS record of 10-11. Most recently, Manhattan is 7-3 ATS over the last 10 games. During the last 10 games, they averaged 83.8 PPG, above their 69.7 PPG season average. Shifting to the other side of the court, teams with weak ball handling have not fared well against the Jaspers, who rank 42nd in the nation with 7.7 steals per game.
The Jaspers’ win over Monmouth in their last clash bumped their SU record over their most recent meetings to 5-0. With a 4-1 record, the Jaspers also have the advantage ATS. Manhattan held the advantage in field goals, rebounds, and three-pointers once in the last five matchups. On the other side of the court, Monmouth never accomplished this feat in that span.
Predictions: SU Winner – Monm, ATS Winner – Monm
Notes
Monmouth is one of the top-scoring teams in the nation, averaging 81.0 points per game (ranked 22nd). Manhattan, on the other hand, allows 74.0 points per game (ranked 186th).
Manhattan scores just 66.7 points per away game (ranked 183rd). Monmouth ranks 96th in points allowed at home, giving up 66.7 points.
The Monmouth Hawks have a defensive rating of 97.8 (ranked 53rd), while the Manhattan Jaspers have an offensive rating of 100.5 (ranked 274th).
The Manhattan Jaspers average a field goal percentage of 42.8% this season. The Monmouth Hawks have split their games this season (5-5) when opponents have a FG% of 42.8% or greater.
The Monmouth Hawks and the Manhattan Jaspers both rank higher in average effective field goal percentage when compared to their field goal percentages. Monmouth is 146th and 122nd in the nation for FG% and eFG% respectively, while Manhattan is 241st and 180th in these categories.
Monmouth, the 75th-ranked team in rebounding, register an average of 38.5 rebounds per game. Manhattan does worse, ranked 349th with 29.7.
Monmouth averages 8.1 steals per game, ranking 25th in the country. Manhattan is an underachieving 2-6 when it gives up at least 8 steals.
