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NEC Championship Game Odds: Robert Morris Opens as Slight 1-Point Favorite vs St. Francis PA

John Perrotto

by John Perrotto in College Basketball

Updated Mar 30, 2021 · 8:13 AM PDT

Robert Morris will get to host the NEC Championship game with an NCAA Tournament berth on the line, can they beat St. Francis (PA) at home?
  • St. Francis, Pa. visits Robert Morris in the NEC Tournament Championship game in Moon Township, Pa. on Tuesday, March 10th at 7:00pm EST
  • This tournament has seen chalk hold, as Robert Morris is the No. 1 seed in the tournament and St. Francis is seeded second
  • See the odds, best bet, and prediction for the game below 

The Northeast Conference Tournament has held to form.

Robert Morris (19-14) and St. Francis, Pa. (22-9), entered as the co-favorites at +160. Now they will meet in the championship game at 7 p.m. ET on Tuesday (March 10) at Robert Morris’ UPMC Events Center in Moon Township, Pa.

After opening as an even pick ’em game, the line has quickly moved to Colonials -1 in the St. Francis (PA) vs Robert Morris odds.

St. Francis, Pa. vs Robert Morris Odds

Team Spread Over/Under
St. Francis, Pa. +1 (-110) Over 144 (-110)
Robert Morris -1 (-110) Under 144 (-110)

Odds taken March 9

NEC Tournament Bracket

The top two seeds have held serve to face off for an NCAA Tournament bid.

Colonials Holding Serve

Robert Morris is the top seed in the tournament and St. Francis is seeded second. That is because regular-season championship Merrimack is ineligible for postseason as part of its probationary period from the NCAA for moving to Division I this season.

 

Robert Morris barely escaped eighth-seeded St. Francis, N.Y., in the first round of the tournament, eking out a 59-58 victory.

Junior forward AJ Bramah had 22 points and eight rebounds to lead Robert Morris, which nearly blew a seven-point lead in the final 1:19.

The Colonials had a much easier time with No. 4 seed Long Island in the semifinals as they rolled to an 86-66 victory while shooting 57 percent (28 of 49) from the floor.

Bramah again topped Robert Morris in scoring as he had 18 points. Senior guard Josh Williams added 15 points and sophomore guard Dante Treacy had eight assists.

Robert Morris is on a three-game winning streak since losing three of four. Williams is the Colonials’ top scorer at 13.5 points a game and Bramah is averaging 13.4 points and 8.2 rebounds per night.

Red Flashes Present Real Threat

St. Francis has won both its game in the tournament by double digits.

The Red Flash dispatched seventh-seeded Bryant 87-61 in the first round.

Senior guard Keith Braxton scored 24 points for the Red Flash. Senior guard Randall Gaskins Jr. added 20 points as St. Francis jumped to a 22-4 lead.

St. Francis then downed No. 3 seed Sacred Heart 74-62 in the semifinals for its 10th win in 11 games.

Senior guard Isaiah Blackmon made four of seven 3-point field attempts while finishing with 24 points and eight rebounds. Braxton added 18 points. The Red Flash outscored Sacred Heart 30-8 in the paint.

Blackmon (18.9 ppg, 5.4 rpg) and Braxton (17.5 ppg, 7.4 rpg) are combining for 36.4 points and 12.8 rebounds a game this season.

Here are how the teams stacks up in some key Pomeroy categories:

St. Francis PA
VS
Robert Morris
+ 0.15 (170th) Adjusted Efficiency Margin -3.83 (210th)
107.7 (79th) Adjusted Offensive Efficiency 100.2 (216th)
107.6 (285th) Adjusted Defensive Efficiency 104.0 (209th)
69.0 (137th) Adjusted Tempo 66.2 (282nd)

RMU, Flash Split Pair

The teams split their two regular-season matchups, each winning on its home floor.

Blackmon scored a career-high 30 points for St. Francis, which covered the four-point spread in its 86-71 victory on Feb. 16.

Braxton and junior forward Mark Flagg added 19 points apiece for the Red Flash. Robert Morris junior forward Charles Bain had 17 points.

YouTube video

In the regular-season finale, Robert Morris notched a 78-68 victory as a one-point favorite behind Williams’ 23 points. Braxton scored 24 points and grabbed 12 rebounds.

The Colonials also ended St. Francis’ streak of nine consecutive wins in the series.

The oddsmakers couldn’t differentiate between Robert Morris and St. Francis when setting the odds for this tournament. And this game opened as a pick ‘em.

Robert Morris is 21-3 all-time in the NEC Tournament when it is the No. 1 seed but we’ll stick with original prediction of St. Francis to win the tournament.

The pick: St. Francis (PA) +1 (-110)


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