Monmouth vs. St. Peter's Odds
| Monmouth Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+3.5 -110 | 124 -110o / -110u | +138 |
| St. Peter's Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-3.5 -110 | 124 -110o / -110u | -166 |
A bid for the NCAA tournament is on the line as Monmouth and Saint Peter’s face off in the MAAC Championship on Saturday.
Iona was the heavy favorite to win the conference tournament for the sixth straight time until it was upset by Rider in the first round. That opened the door for the next two favorites to take advantage of an easier path to the finals.
Monmouth had to battle past Niagara and Rider en route to the MAAC Championship. Both were tight games throughout, but the Hawks leaned on their offensive triple threat to find clutch buckets.
Saint Peter’s has rolled past its two opponents, beating Quinnipiac and Fairfield by double digits. The Peacocks entered the tournament already on fire, winning five regular-season games in a row.
Saint Peter’s has covered the spread in six straight games and will lean on its dominant defense to extend that streak to seven.
Monmouth Hawks
Everyone remembers George Papas for his late-game “heroics” against Kansas. But he’s part of a Monmouth offensive triple threat, joining Seton Hall transfer Shavar Reynolds and North Carolina transfer Walker Miller. Each member of the trio averages over 14 points and ranks among the top-10 in scoring in the MAAC.
The Hawks offense is reliant on getting to the charity stripe, where they find 21% of their points. The group doesn’t take many outside shot attempts and converts on just 47% of its 2-point attempts (293rd).
Monmouth relies on its strong defense that forces opponents to utilize all of the shot clock before getting a contested shot. The Hawks hold opponents to 47% from the field, which ranks 57th nationally.
Saint Peter's Peacocks
Saint Peter’s also relies on its defense, but it’s the top group in the conference by a wide margin. The Peacocks rank 35th in the country in defensive efficiency; no other MAAC team even ranks inside the top 100 in that category.
In conference play, this defense ranks first in field goal percentage, turnover percentage, 2-point and 3-point defense. It doesn’t allow any easy buckets, holding opponents to 45% from the field, which is a top-10 rate in the country.
During the Peacocks' six-game win streak the defense has held opponents to just 51 points per game.
The Peacocks have struggled to score the basketball at times, but the offense has found a groove over the last two weeks.
Monmouth vs. St. Peter's Betting Pick
Saint Peter’s has always had an elite defense that ravaged through the regular season, but the offense couldn’t keep up in tournament time. This season, it found an offensive spark in Daryl Banks III and Doug Edert.
Monmouth takes over 66% of its shot attempts from inside the perimeter. That’s a recipe for disaster against one of the best rim protectors in the country in KC Ndefo. Ndefo leads the conference in blocks, swatting 2.7 shots per game.
The Peacocks won both regular-season matchups by five points despite shooting only 30% from the field in the first one. This game is slated to be a battle with each side grinding out possessions on both ends of the floor, exactly how Saint Peter’s likes it.
I’m backing the Peacocks to find their seventh victory and cover in a row while punching their ticket to the Big Dance.
