Metro Atlantic Athletic foes will clash when the Fairfield Stags (3-4) take on the Rider Broncs (1-6) at Webster Bank Arena at Harbor Yard. The game gets underway at 7:00 pm ET on Friday, Dec. 4.
The Stags lost big to Iona 101-77 on Tuesday. Matija Milin had a solid performance, putting up 13 points, six rebounds, and one steal for Fairfield. The Broncs, meanwhile, are coming off a 73-61 loss against Saint Peter’s on Wednesday. Kealen Ives had a good game for Rider, recording 11 points, five assists, and two steals.
Fairfield is a slim underdog, with Rider favored by one. The Over/Under (O/U) is sitting at 133 points. The Stags enter the game with records of 3-4 Straight Up (SU) and 2-3 Against The Spread (ATS). The Stags are an exceptional three-point shooting team with 10.0 made per game, one of the highest marks in Division I. Fairfield has the 37th-most assists in Division I, averaging 17.1 per game.
On the other side, the Broncs have records of 1-6 both ATS and SU.
These conference foes meet for what will be their first head-to-head battle of the season. Rider won the last game in the matchup, bringing the head-to-head record to an even 5-5 SU over their most recent meetings. However, with a 6-4 record, Rider has the advantage ATS. When it comes to field goals, rebounds, and three-pointers, Rider held the edge in all three of these categories once in the last five meetings. Fairfield never did so in those games.
Predictions: SU Winner – Fair, ATS Winner – Fair, O/U – Over
Notes
Fairfield is 4-17 SU in its last 21 games.
Fairfield is 4-9 SU in its last 13 games at home.
Fairfield is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games when playing Rider.
Both Fairfield and Rider stand at a winless 0-1 SU record against their conference rivals.
Fairfield lost its last game by a 24-point margin. In games decided by a margin of 18 points or more, Rider is 0-1. Fairfield is 1-2 in blowouts this season.
The Fairfield Stags average a field goal percentage of 44.8% this season. The Rider Broncs are a winless 0-3 when opponents have a FG% of 44.8% or greater.
The Fairfield Stags rank lower for their field goal percentage (145th) than they do for their effective field goal percentage (88th), but the Rider Broncs have a better FG% ranking (248th) than eFG% ranking (267th).
Fairfield ranks 37th in assists, registering 17.1 per game. Rider performs worse at 263rd with 12.0 assists per game.
The Fairfield Stags average 5.6 steals per game. When giving up 5 or more steals, the Rider Broncs have an underachieving record (1-5) this season.
