LIU vs Merrimack Odds, Spread & Picks (Feb. 2)
- Merrimack is a 12-point home favorite over LIU on Thursday in a Northeast Conference game
- LIU is 3-19 and has only one win over a Division I team this season
- Below, find a look at the LIU vs Merrimack odds and prediction
The Northeast Conference gets a rare turn on national television when Long Island visits Merrimack at 5 p.m. ET Thursday at Hammel Court in North Andover, Mass.
LIU (3-19, 1-10 road, 1-9 NEC) has lost nine of its last 10 games, including falling to St. Francis (N.Y.) 71-59 on the road Saturday. The Sharks have only one win over a Division I team this season.
Merrimack (7-16, 3-6 home, 5-4 NEC) lost to Fairleigh Dickinson 78-71 on Saturday at home after winning its previous two games.
The game will be shown on CBS Sports Network.
LIU vs Merrimack Odds
| Team | Moneyline | Spread | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| LIU | +575 | +12 (-110) | Over 128 (-110) |
| Merrimack | -835 | -12 (-110) | Under 128 (-110) |
Odds as of February 1st at FanDuel. Claim the FanDuel Sportsbook promo code.
Merrimack is favored by 12 points and a -835 pick on the moneyline in the college basketball odds, giving it an implied win probability of 89.3.%.
LIU Betting Trends
LIU hasn’t had many positives in former NBA star Rod Strickland’s first season as coach. However, freshman guard R.J. Greene had a breakout game Saturday in the loss at St. Francis (N.Y.).
Greene tallied 17 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists. Greene tied a career-high for points and set a career-best for rebounds while notching his first career double-double.
However, Greene also had five of LIU’s 22 turnovers.
R.J. GREENE, LOOK OUT!
The freshman taking names at the rim tonight! pic.twitter.com/ZQKddS6spy
— LIU Men’s Basketball (@LIUBasketball) November 15, 2022
Senior guard Tre Wood added 12 points, six rebounds, four assists and two blocked shots. He, too, turned the ball over five times. Wood is third in the NEC in assists with 4.0 a game.
Sophomore guard Marko Maletic, LIU’s leading scorer, had an off day as he was held to eight points on 2-of-7 shooting. It was just the second time in 20 games this season that Maletic did not reach double figures.
Averaging 16.8 points a game, Maletic is second in the NEC in scoring. His 44.1 field goal percentage is fifth.
Sophomore guard Andre Washington is averaging 12.4 points and is fourth in the conference in steals with 1.8 a game.
A transfer from Kansas City, sophomore guard Jacob Johnson is having a fine season with averages of 11.0 points, 5.8 rebounds and 2.0 assists.
LIU is one of the worst teams in the country in terms of scoring and allowing points. The Sharks are 306th in scoring (67.0) and 358th in points allowed (80.3).
LIU’s 65.0 free throw percentage is 336th and its opponents’ 47.6 field goal percentage ranks 351st.
The Sharks held St. Francis to 34.8% (24 of 69) shooting but the Terriers went 11 for 25 (44.0%) on three-point attempts.
Merrimack Betting Trends
Senior forward Jordan Minor is having an outstanding season for Merrimack. He is averaging 16.6 points, 8.6 rebounds, 2.5 blocked shots and 2.1 assists a game.
Minor recorded his eighth double-double of the season Saturday in the loss to Fairleigh Dickinson. He finished with 15 points, 11 boards and three blocks.
Merrimack has struggled offensively, though. The Warriors are 342nd in Division I in three-point shooting (29.7%), 350th in field goal percentage (40.0) and 360th in scoring (58.2).
Conversely, Merrimack is allowing just 63.2 points a game, which is 30th nationally. Fairleigh Dickinson, though, shot 53.7% (29 of 54).
Jordan Minor with the alley-oop DUNK, with the assist from Derkack!
45-37 MC | 15:57 | 2H#GoMack // #MakeChaos pic.twitter.com/ZNhNoQqaCC
— Merrimack Men’s Basketball (@MerrimackMBB) January 28, 2023
With a 12.2 mark, senior wing Ziggy Reid is the only other Merrimack player with a double-figure scoring average. He had a team-high 16 points on Saturday with three steals.
Sophomore guard Devon Savage added 14 points. Freshman guard Jordan Derkack finished with 11 points and five assists but also had five of Merrimack’s 22 turnovers.
Being sloppy with the ball negated the Warriors shooting 53.7% (22 of 41) overall and 41.2% (7 of 17) on three-pointers.
LIU vs Merrimack Prediction
The teams have split six games since Merrimack moved to Division I at the start of the 2019-20 season. The Bulldogs beat the Sharks 82-77 at home last season.
While Merrimack certainly isn’t a power, it’s hard to bet LIU in any situation, especially on the road.
Pick: Merrimack -12 (-110)
Season record: 23-20 (+1.0 units) ATS, 1-7 (-5.5 units) ML
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John Perrotto has been covering and writing about sports for various outlets for over 40 years. His work has appeared in the likes of USA TODAY, ESPN.com, SI.com, Forbes.com, The Associated Press, Baseball Digest, and more. John is based out of Beaver Falls, PA.
