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Saint Peter’s vs Quinnipiac Picks and Odds

Blair Johnson

by Blair Johnson in College Basketball

Updated Mar 5, 2021 · 9:09 AM PST

Shaheen Holloway pointing and yelling on the court
St. Peter's head coach Shaheen Holloway reacts during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game against Maryland, Friday, Dec. 4, 2020, in College Park, Md. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)
  • The Quinnipiac Bobcats (9-11, 7-9 MAAC) host the Saint Peter’s Peacocks (12-10, 9-8 MAAC) Friday, March 5
  • The Bobcats beat the Peacocks 65-60 Thursday in the first game of the regular-season ending two-game series
  • Read below for odds, analysis, and best bet for this matchup

The Quinnipiac Bobcats (9-11, 7-9 MAAC) host the Saint Peter’s Peacocks (12-10, 9-8 MAAC) Friday, March 5 in Hamden. Tip is set for 4pm ET at People’s United Center.

The Bobcats beat the Peacocks 65-60 Thursday in the first game of their regular-season ending two-game series between the schools. Shaheen Holloway’s Peacocks and Baker Dunleavy’s Bobcats are in sixth and seventh place in the MAAC standings, respectively.

Friday’s game will determine which team plays when once the conference tourney begins in March 8 in Atlantic City.

Quinnipiac is a slight home underdog to Saint Peter’s in the season finale.

Saint Peter’s vs Quinnipiac Odds

Team Spread Moneyline Total
Saint Peter’s -3((-120) -170 O 131.5 (-115)
Quinnipiac +3 (+100) +150 U 131.5 (-105)

Odds as of March 5.

Block Party

Quinnipiac sophomore center Seth Pinkney had himself a game in Thursday’s five-point victory, finishing with 10 points, nine rebounds and a career-high seven blocks. The 7-foot-1’s seven denials tied a program record. Pinkney was 4-of-5 from the field, including this dunk.

The Bobcats used a 15-0 run over a five-minute stretch between the end of the first half and beginning of the second to take command of the game. Sophomore guard Savion Lewis had a team-high 11 points over 32 minutes, finishing with a +12  rating. Lewis added six rebounds and four steals, shooting 3-of-4 from the floor.

The Peacocks shut down senior Jacob Rigoni, Quinnipiac’s leading scorer (13.0 points per game) and rebounder (6.7  boards per game) to the tune of six points (0-for-4 from the field) and two rebounds. Quinnipiac still managed to outscore Saint Peter’s 30-18 in the paint, largely thanks to Pinkney’s big night.

If Quinnipiac can get a similar performance out of Pinkney — and Rigoni can rebound from a rough afternoon — there’s no reason to think the Bobcats can’t sweep aside the Peacocks. A victory would certainly give Dunleavy’s club some momentum heading into the MAAC tourney as potential winners in five of their last seven games.

Bounce-Back Potential

When you feature the reigning conference Coach of the Year in Holloway and Defensive Player and Sixth Man of the Year in KC Ndefo — as Saint Peter’s does — there’s significant bounce-back potential by the road team Friday. Ndefo was the team’s leading scorer during the 2020-21 campaign, putting up 13.5 points per game. The junior guard can do it all.

YouTube video

Ndefo finished with 14 in Thursday’s defeat and joined Quinnipiac counterpart Pinkney in the rejection department, posting a team-leading five blocks. He now sits just four blocks shy of the program’s all-time career mark.

The MAAC doesn’t feature any particularly elite teams overall, with Siena landing at a conference-best No. 172 slot on KenPom. Thirty-six slots behind the Saints are the Peacocks.

But what Saint Peter’s is good at is defending. Holloway has his club in the top-10 of three different defensive categories — leading the country in two-point field-goal percentage defense (42.1%) while also dominant in defensive block percentage (16%, good for second-best) and defensive effective field-goal percentage (44.5%, good for sixth-best),

It’s that kind of defense that can very easily avenge Thursday’s frustrating effort by Saint Peter’s.

What’s At Stake?

Saint Peter’s remained in fourth place in the MAAC standings after the 65-60 loss and must win Friday in order to finish the campaign in third place. As for Quinnipiac, the Bobcats are hoping to close out the season with a conference-best 9-4 home record.

Dunleavy’s club has won three of the last five matchups overall after losing four straight.

This game will likely come down to, as most do, which team can shoot better. Saint Peter’s was an abysmal 28.3% from the field Thursday. Quinnipiac outrebounded the Peacocks 42-38 and shot 37.5% from the field.

Look for Rigoni to have a much better effort, too. The Australia native put up a combined 66 points and 36 rebounds in the four previous outings before Thursday’s showdown with Saint Peter’s.

Saint Peter’s defensive prowess was noted above — but Quinnipiac is fairly stout as well. The Bobcats are rated No. 8 when it comes to defending two-points shots at 43.4% and No. 21 defending three-point shots at 29.6%. They’re even better in defensive effective field-goal percentage, with a third-rated 43.8%. This one might be too close to call either way, but the under is a solid bet.

The pick: Under 131.5 (-105)

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