The No.1-seeded Monmouth Hawks (27-7) and No.8-seeded Bucknell Bison (17-13) meet in the first round of the NIT tournament at Multipurpose Activity Center. The game begins at 7:30 pm ET on Wednesday, Mar. 16 and will air on ES3.
The Hawks are expecting a better outcome after their 79-76 loss to Iona in the 4 of the Metro Atlantic Athletic tournament. Je’lon Hornbeak was the game’s high scorer with 20 points. The Bison, meanwhile, are feeling some disappointment after the 77-72 loss to Holy Cross in the 2 of the Patriot League tournament. Bucknell still lost despite the best efforts of Zach Thomas, who recorded his fifth double-double of the season with 19 points and 10 rebounds.
The Hawks come into this game 27-7 Straight Up (SU) and 20-12 Against The Spread (ATS). Monmouth has been steady from the free throw line, shooting a superb .766. Transitioning to the Monmouth defense, opponents have consistently had the ball stolen by the Hawks, who rank 13th in the country in steals per game with 8.3.
As for their opponent, the Bison have a record of 3-3 ATS and 17-13 SU.
Monmouth and Bucknell have not played one another in a regular season matchup in recent years.
Predictions: SU Winner – Monm, ATS Winner – Monm
Notes
“The total has gone UNDER in 9 of Monmouth’s last 10 games at home”.
“Monmouth is 13-2 SU in its last 15 games “.
The Bucknell Bison have a defensive rating of 101.8 (ranked 73rd), while the Monmouth Hawks have an offensive rating of 108.4 (ranked 114th).
Monmouth averages 73.3 possessions per game, scoring 1.084 points on each possession. While Bucknell averages fewer possessions per game with 72.0, they score more points per possession with 1.096.
The Bucknell Bison average an effective field goal percentage of 53.0% this season. The Monmouth Hawks have split their games this season (3-3) when opponents have an eFG% of 53.0% or greater.
Bucknell ranks 38th in assists, recording 15.8 per game. Monmouth performs worse at 247th with 12.3 assists per game.
Monmouth ranks 167th in offensive rebounds, while Bucknell ranks 95th in defensive rebounds.
The Monmouth Hawks average 8.3 steals per game, ranked 13th in the nation. The Bucknell Bison have an 8-6 record when they allow at least 8 steals.
