It is a first-round matchup in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference on Monday when the Rider Broncos take on the Canisius Golden Griffins. Get the latest odds and information for this contest at William Hill Sportsbook.
Rider Enters Slumping
The Broncs enter tournament play in a rut. They have lost their last two games and six of their last seven overall. The last defeat was on Friday at the hands of Monmouth, 65-62. That moved Rider to 5-13 and the conference and 5-16 overall. Rider won the most recent battle between these teams, defeating Canisius 61-60. However, that victory was in February of last year.
The Broncs are shooting 42.3% from the field and 34.5% from the three-point range. The team is averaging 67.4 points per game while allowing 73.9 per contest.
Dwight Murray leads the team in scoring at 15.6 ppg. He is also the leading rebounder at 6.2 boards per contest. No other Broncs player is averaging in double digits, but five are averaging at least 7.6 points per contest. Dontrell McQuarter is second on the team in scoring (9.1) and is tied for second in rebounding (5.1).
Canisius Looks to Play Cinderella
Canisius enters the conference tournament at 7-5 in the conference and 7-5 overall. They won their last game, narrowly defeating Siena, 76-75. That snapped a two-game losing streak. However, prior to the losing skid, the Golden Griffins had won five games in a row. Canisius is 6-4 in their last 10 against Rider.
Canisius is averaging 69.9 ppg, sixth-worst in the country, while they are allowing 70.6 points per contest. They are shooting 40.7% from the field and an abysmal 29.7% from the three-point range, 20th worst in the nation.
Malek Green leads the team in both scoring and rebounding, averaging 13.3 points and 7.3 rebounds per game. Majesty Brandon is second on the team in scoring at 12.4 points per contest. Three players are averaging between 8.3 and 8.5 points per game. Jacco Fritz is second on the team in rebounding at 6.6 per contest and is averaging 8.4 points per game. He also leads the team in blocks with 10.
Rider:
- None
Canisius:
- 6-2 ATS in their last eight games.
- 4-1 ATS in their last five games following a victory.
Rider enters the conference tournament limping. They are having trouble finding a formula that leads to victories. When they play tougher defense, they cannot score enough to win. When they play a more open contest, they cannot stop the opponent.
Canisius is playing some sound basketball of late. They are not a very good shooting team, but they are getting the job done behind some outstanding defense. Look for the Golden Griffins to jump out to an early lead and roll after the half.
Pick: Take Canisius -6.5 at – 110
The Total:
Neither of these teams has done a very good job stopping teams from scoring. That is the way it appears statistically at least. That has been a bit misleading, however as each of these teams has suffered a few blowout losses that has driven up their points allowed totals.
Canisius has held opponents to 75 points or less in eight straight games, including holding them under 70 in five of those games. Rider has held opponents under 70 in three of the last four games. Both of these teams can play sound defense, and I think that keeps the score low here as well.
Pick: Go under 146.5 points at -115