Saint Joseph's at UMass: 3/4/21 College Basketball Picks and Prediction
Photo by Jason Getz-USA TODAY Sports
UMass Minutemen (7-6) vs Saint Joseph's Hawks (5-14)
Game Info: Thursday, March 4, 2021 at 1:00 pm (Robins Center)
Betting Odds: UMass Minutemen -3 -- Over/Under: 150.5 Click Here for the Latest Odds
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The Saint Joseph’s Hawks and UMass Minutemen will square off at the Robins Center this Thursday afternoon in the 2nd round of the A-10 Conference Championship.
The Saint Joseph’s Hawks finished their regular season with an overall record of 4-14 and earned the 13-seed in the A-10 Conference Tournament after finishing conference play with a 3-9 record. Saint Joseph’s squared off against the 12-seed La Salle Explorers on Wednesday and kept their season alive after defeating the La Salle by a 72-66 margin. Saint Joseph’s struggled a bit on the offensive end and trailed by a 39-34 margin at halftime, however, the defense was outstanding in the 2nd half and the Hawks were able to pull away after taking a 64-58 lead with 1:54 left in regulation. Saint Joseph’s shot 39.6% from the field and 35.0% from beyond the arc while La Salle shot 41.7% from the field and 32.0% from beyond the arc. Saint Joseph’s was outrebounded by La Salle by a 43-31 margin, however, did win the turnover battle by a 13-7 margin in the victory. Leading the way for the Hawks was Ryan Daly who had 23 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 block, & 1 steal.
Coming into their game against La Salle on Monday, Saint Joseph’s was averaging 72.5 ppg on 41.3% shooting from the field. The Hawks were averaging 9.6 three-pointers per game on 31.3% shooting from beyond the arc. Offensively, Saint Joseph’s had been led by Ryan Daly (19.4 ppg, 6.8 rpg, 2.9 apg, 1.1 spg), Taylor Funk (17.8 ppg, 5.8 rpg, 1.4 apg), Jordan Hall (9.8 ppg, 5.8 rpg, 5.9 apg, 1.3 spg), & Dahmir Bishop (7.5 ppg, 2.9 rpg, 1.5 apg).
Defensively, Saint Joseph’s was allowing their opponents to average 82.6 ppg on 46.9% shooting from the field. The Hawks had a rebound margin of -7.0 and a turnover margin of -1.3.
The UMass Minutemen finished their regular season with an overall record of 7-6 and earned the 5-seed in the A-10 Conference Tournament after finishing conference play with a 6-4 record. UMass had trouble getting and staying on the court this season due to Covid-19 protocols as the Minutemen had 7 games cancelled this season. UMass was led by an explosive offense that ranked 82nd in scoring offense & 66th in three-pointers made per game, however, the defense struggled as the Minutemen ranked just 236th in scoring defense & 294th in defensive FG%. UMass was able to pick up some solid wins against Rhode Island this season, however, the Minutemen struggled against the top-tier opponents of the A-10 as they picked up losses against Davidson, Richmond, & Saint Louis.
On the season, UMass is averaging 75.3 ppg on 41.6% shooting from the field. The Minutemen are averaging 8.5 three-pointers per game on 32.1% shooting from beyond the arc. Offensively, UMass has been led by Tre Mitchell (18.1 ppg, 6.9 rpg, 2.4 apg, 1.1 spg, 1.5 bpg), Carl Pierre (12.9 ppg, 3.8 rpg, 1.6 apg, 1.0 spg), Noah Fernandes (11.5 ppg, 4.5 rpg, 4.5 apg, 1.5 spg), & Javohn Garcia (9.8 ppg, 2.2 rpg, 2.5 apg, 1.5 spg).
Defensively, UMass is allowing their opponents to average 72.5 ppg on 46.6% shooting from the field. The Minutemen have a rebound margin of -2.5 and a turnover margin of 2.4.
Trends will be provided when released.
UMass has a bunch of talent on this team and certainly can make a run in the A-10 tournament, however, the Minutemen just have not been able to play a lot of basketball together this season and I cannot say I was encouraged with their performances against Richmond & Saint Louis to end their regular season. Saint Joseph’s had a tough regular season, however, the Hawks have won four straight games, including wins against Dayton & Richmond and it was even more encouraging seeing the Hawks pull out a victory against La Salle behind their defense which has struggled all season.
Saint Joseph’s has some solid talent in Ryan Daly & Taylor Funk that should be able to matchup with UMass and as I think the Hawks have all the momentum and that this is going to be a high scoring game, I am taking Saint Joseph’s and the points while also putting some on the over. Good Luck!
Brett’s Pick Saint Joseph's Hawks +3 / Over 150.5
AUTHOR: Brett Nault
Mitch's Take...
