It will be a battle between Metro Atlantic Athletic opponents when the Rider Broncs (11-19) welcome the Manhattan Jaspers (12-16) to Alumni Gymnasium. Action starts at 6:00 pm ET on Sunday, Feb. 28 and can be seen on ES3.
The Broncs are hoping to rebound after their 79-58 loss to Monmouth on Friday. Kahlil Thomas finished with 16 points to lead the team. The Jaspers, meanwhile, are feeling some disappointment after their 86-73 loss to Iona on Friday. Zane Waterman had a solid game, posting his fourth double-double of the season with 18 points and 10 rebounds.
This will be the second matchup of the season between these two teams. The Jaspers won the first game 65-57. Shane Richards had a stellar game with 28 points, four rebounds, two assists, and four three-pointers.
The Broncs enter the game with records of 11-19 Straight Up (SU) and 10-16 Against The Spread (ATS). Rider will look to take advantage of the Jaspers and their propensity to foul. Manhattan ranks 330th in the nation in fouls, averaging 22.1 per game.
As for their opponent, Manhattan has a SU record of 12-16 and an ATS record of 13-13. The Jaspers are shooting lights out from the foul line so far, with a .741 free throw percentage that ranks 35th in Division I. Moving on to the Manhattan defense, the Jaspers allow very few three-pointers on defense with 5.0 given up per game. Teams with weak ball handling have not fared well against the Jaspers, who rank 35th in the nation with 7.8 steals per game.
The Jaspers’ win over Rider in their last clash evened up the two teams’ head-to-head record over their most recent games (5-5). The Jaspers hold the advantage ATS with a record of 6-4. Manhattan held the edge in field goals, rebounds, and three-pointers once in the last five game, while Rider wasn’t able to do so in that span.
Predictions: SU Winner – Rider, ATS Winner – Rider
Notes
Manhattan averages 68.5 points per game, placing the team just 213th in the nation. Rider ranks 82nd in points allowed, giving up 68.3 points per game.
The Manhattan Jaspers average 69.1 possessions per game and .992 points per possession. The Rider Broncs earn fewer possessions with 66.1, but they score more points with 1.012.
The Rider Broncs average an effective field goal percentage of 48.6% this season. The Manhattan Jaspers have a subpar record of 8-13 when opponents have an eFG% of 48.6% or greater.
On average, the Rider Broncs attempt 19.0 three point field goals per game and the Manhattan Jaspers attempt 20.0. In games where they attempt at least 20 threes, Rider is 6-8, while Manhattan has a losing record of 7-13.
Manhattan is one of the top teams in forced turnovers, with opponents averaging a TO% of 23.1% (ranked seventh). Rider has a subpar record of 1-6 SU this season when its TO% reaches 23.1% or greater.
