Metro Atlantic Athletic foes will lock horns when the Fairfield Stags (12-9) challenge the Quinnipiac Bobcats (6-13) at Webster Bank Arena at Harbor Yard. Action begins at 7:00 pm ET on Monday, Feb. 1 and can be seen on ES3.
The Stags enter this game hoping for similar success after topping Canisius 84-77 on Friday. Curtis Cobb was the game’s leading scorer with 25 points on 9-for-18 shooting. The Bobcats, meanwhile, are coming off an 82-68 win against Niagara on Saturday. Daniel Harris played well for Quinnipiac, registering 18 points, eight assists, and four rebounds.
Over the last five games, Tyler Nelson has taken his game to another level for the Stags, averaging 19.6 points, 3.2 rebounds, 3.2 assists, 1.2 steals, and 2.2 three-pointers.
Quinnipiac may control the offensive boards in this matchup, as they place sixth in the nation in OR% at 40.1%. On the other hand, Fairfield ranks 318th in the nation on the defensive glass with a DR% of 66.5%.
This one isn’t expected to be close when Fairfield, a substantial 10-point favorite, takes on Quinnipiac. The matchup has an estimated Over/Under (O/U) of 149 points. The Stags have gone 12-9 Straight Up (SU) and 8-8 Against The Spread (ATS). The Stags have no trouble scoring as they rank 39th in the nation in offense with 79.9 points per game. The Stags are one of the best in Division I in terms of free throw percentage, shooting an impressive .737 from the free throw line. Fairfield is one of the best passing teams in the nation with an average of 16.2 assists per game.
As for their opponent, the Bobcats have 6-13 SU and 4-7 ATS records. The Bobcats have controlled the glass with a Division I-best 44.9 rebounds per game.
These conference foes meet for what will be their first head-to-head battle of the season. Quinnipiac won the last game in the matchup, bumping its SU record over their most recent meetings to 3-2. The Stags lead the matchup ATS with a record of 3-1. Neither team held the edge in field goals, rebounds, or three-pointers in a single game during this span.
Predictions: SU Winner – Fair, ATS Winner – Fair, O/U – Over
Notes
Fairfield is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games.
Fairfield is 9-3 SU in its last 12 games at home.
The Quinnipiac Bobcats currently sit below 0.500 against the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference at 3-7 SU, while the Fairfield Stags have a 6-5 SU record.
Fairfield scores 81.3 points per home game (ranked 81st). Quinnipiac ranks a poor 291st in points allowed on the road, allowing 80.5 points.
The Fairfield Stags average a field goal percentage of 45.6% this season. The Quinnipiac Bobcats are a winless 0-4 when opponents have a FG% of 45.6% or greater.
On average, Fairfield attempts 26.0 three pointers and Quinnipiac attempts 22.0. In games where they have 20 or more three point attempts, the Fairfield Stags have a 10-9 record while the Quinnipiac Bobcats have an underachieving 2-10 record.
Fairfield ranks 76th in the nation with an assist-to-turnover ratio of 1.23. Quinnipiac is ranked lower at 322nd with an A/TO of .79.
The Quinnipiac Bobcats are the best rebounding team in the nation with 44.9 rebounds per game. The Fairfield Stags rank 253rd, rebounding 35.1 times per game.
The Fairfield Stags are one of the least effective defensive rebounding teams (ranking 123rd), while the Quinnipiac Bobcats are the nation’s best offensive rebounding team.
Fairfield has forced an average turnover percentage of 18.1% this season. Quinnipiac has a subpar 4-11 record when its TO% is 18.1% or higher.
