Hofstra Pride (11-8) vs Delaware Fightin' Blue Hens (7-7)
Game Info: Sunday, March 7, 2021 at 11:00 am (Atlantic Union Bank Center)
Betting Odds: Hofstra Pride -3.5 -- Over/Under: 137.5 Click Here for the Latest Odds
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The Delaware Blue Hens and Hofstra Pride will square off at the Atlantic Union Bank Center in the Quarterfinals of the CAA Championship this Sunday morning.
The Delaware Blue Hens finished their regular season with an overall record of 7-7 and earned the 5-seed in the CAA Championship after finishing conference play with a 5-4 record. Delaware struggled a bit on the offensive end this season as they ranked just 271st in scoring offense, however, the Blue Hens were able to pick up some sold wins behind a defense that currently ranks 71st in scoring defense & 93rd in defensive FG%. Delaware was playing well at the end of January winning 4 of their games, including a 74-56 win at home over Hofstra, however, the Blue Hens were hit hard by Covid-19 in February and have not been able to play a single game since their 75-70 win against Elon on January 31st.
On the season, Delaware is averaging 67.0 ppg on 44.5% shooting from the field. The Blue Hens are averaging 7.0 three-pointers per game on 33.0% shooting from beyond the arc. Offensively, Delaware has been led by Ryan Allen (15.4 ppg, 2.7 rpg, 2.8 apg), Dylan Painter (13.4 ppg, 11.6 rpg, 2.0 apg, 1.1 bpg), Kevin Anderson (11.4 ppg, 3.3 rpg, 2.8 apg, 1.4 spg), & Andrew Carr (8.6 ppg, 3.8 rpg, 1.9 apg).
Defensively, Delaware is holding their opponents to an average of 66.4 ppg on 41.7% shooting from the field. The Blue Hens have a rebound margin of 3.2 and a turnover margin of -3.1.
The Hofstra Pride finished their regular season with an overall record of 12-9 and earned the 4-seed in the CAA Championship after finishing conference play with n 8-6 record. Hofstra struggled a bit on the defensive end this season as the Pride currently rank just 238th in scoring defense, however, Hofstra had a serviceable offense that currently ranks 128th in scoring offense & 145th in three-pointers made per game. Hofstra picked up a nice non-conference win against Richmond and one point won 8 of 11 conference games, however, the Pride struggled a bit down the stretch losing 3 of their last 4 games including both games against the 1-seed James Madison Dukes.
On the season, Hofstra is averaging 73.3 ppg on 44.4% shooting from the field. The Pride are averaging 7.5 three-pointers per game on 32.8% shooting from beyond the arc. Offensively, Hofstra has been led by Jalen Ray (18.6 ppg, 3.2 rpg, 3.4 apg, 1.7 spg), Tareq Coburn (15.7 ppg, 4.1 rpg, 1.3 spg), Isaac Kante (13.0 ppg, 10.1 rpg), & Caleb Burgess (7.8 ppg, 3.1 rpg, 5.6 apg, 1.2 spg).
Defensively, Hofstra is allowing their opponents to average 72.8 ppg on 45.3% shooting from the field. The Pride have a rebound margin of 0.6 and a turnover margin of -0.0.
The Blue Hens are 8-2-1 ATS in their last 11 Sunday games and 7-2 ATS in their last 9 neutral site games. The Pride are 5-0 ATS in their last 5 neutral site games, however, are 4-10 ATS in their last 14 games overall.
Delaware is a solid team that just did not get to play a lot of basketball this season as key players missed time with injury and the Blue Hens had to cancel almost half their schedule due to Covid-19. Hofstra struggled a bit more than expected this season, however, there is no doubt that they have enough talent to make a run, led by the duo of Jalen Ray & Tareq Coburn. If Delaware had been playing lately, I would favor the Blue Hens in this one, however, it is hard not to expect some rust from the Blue Hens after not playing a game in over a month. I think the Hofstra offense will have some success in this one against a below average Delaware defense and I think the Pride do enough in this one to cover this spread. Good Luck!
Brett’s Pick Hofstra Pride -3.5
AUTHOR: Brett Nault
Follow Brett Nault on Twitter @BrettCU05