It will be a battle between Northeast opponents when the Mount St. Mary’s Mountaineers (9-12) welcome the Robert Morris Colonials (6-15) to Knott Arena. The game gets underway at 7:00 pm ET on Thursday, Jan. 28 and will air on CCS.
The Mountaineers beat Fairleigh Dickinson 87-72 on Sunday. Gregory Graves was the team’s high scorer with 22 points on 8-for-14 shooting. The Colonials, meanwhile, are coming off a 65-54 win over Bryant on Saturday. Elijah Minnie had a good game and claimed his second double-double of the season, accumulating 13 points and 12 rebounds.
It could be an error-filled game for the Robert Morris offense, which ranks 333rd in the nation in ball security (TO% of 21.9%). It’ll be facing the ball-hawking Mount St. Mary’s defense, which forces the third-most turnovers in the nation (26.1%).
This will be the second matchup of the season between these two teams. The Mountaineers won the first game 76-52. BK Ashe put up 17 points and 10 rebounds.
Mount St. Mary’s, a seven-point favorite, will look to capitalize at home against Robert Morris. The Over/Under (O/U) for the matchup is 129 points. The Mountaineers are a disappointment Against The Spread (ATS) with a 0-3 record, while sporting a 9-12 Straight Up (SU) record. They have struggled ATS recently, going 0-1. The Mount St. Mary’s defense has been shutting down opposing offenses over the past 10 games, only allowing an average of 65.4 points per game, well under their season average of 71.8. The Mountaineers are the 16th-best team in the country at taking the ball away from their opponents, averaging 8.6 steals per game.
On the other side, the Colonials are a good bet ATS with a perfect record of 1-0 to go along with a 6-15 SU record. Opponents have not been able to figure out how to slow down Robert Morris recently. Over the past 10 matchups, they have covered every spread (1-0 ATS) and have managed a SU record of 4-6. The last 10 games have really brought out the best of the Colonials on the defensive end. They’ve allowed 64.1 points per game during that span, which is lower than their season average of 71.4. When it comes to stealing the ball, the Colonials are one of the best in the nation with an average of 8.0 steals per game.
Mount St. Mary’s beat Robert Morris in their most recent meeting this season, but Robert Morris still leads the head-to-head record over their most recent games, 7-3 SU. However, with a 2-0 record, Mount St. Mary’s has the advantage ATS. Mount St. Mary’s and Robert Morris each held the edge in three key areas (field goals, rebounds, and three-pointers) once in their last five meetings.
Predictions: SU Winner – MSM, ATS Winner – MSM, O/U – Over
Notes
Mount St. Mary’s scores just 74.6 points per home game (ranked 223rd). Robert Morris ranks 83rd in points allowed on the road, giving up 70.8 points.
The Mount St. Mary’s Mountaineers average 71.6 possessions and .962 points per possession in games this season. The Robert Morris Colonials average fewer possessions with 69.4, as well as fewer points per possession with .929.
The Mount St. Mary’s Mountaineers average an effective field goal percentage of 48.1% this season. The Robert Morris Colonials have an underachieving record of 1-11 when opponents have an eFG% of 48.1% or greater.
On average, Mount St. Mary’s attempts 21.0 three pointers and Robert Morris attempts 21.0. In games where they have 20 or more three point attempts, both have losing records. The Mount St. Mary’s Mountaineers are 4-10 while the Robert Morris Colonials are 4-11.
Mount St. Mary’s averages 8.6 steals per game, ranking 16th in the country. Robert Morris is a losing 3-5 when it gives up at least 8 steals.
