Central Connecticut State vs Saint Joseph’s Prediction College Basketball Picks 11/8/24

The Central Connecticut Blue Devils and the St. Joseph’s Hawks meet Friday in college basketball action from Hagan Arena. Here’s a Central Connecticut vs St. Joseph’s prediction. We will look at this from a betting perspective and determine the best Central Connecticut vs St. Joseph’s pick. We will examine:

The Central Connecticut Blue Devils’ recent form and player performance

The St. Joseph’s Hawks’ recent form and player performance

Recent betting trends and streaks involving the Central Connecticut Blue Devils

Recent betting trends and streaks involving the St. Joseph’s Hawks

Recent betting trends in games played between Central Connecticut and St. Joseph’s

A summary that ties it all together and produces a favorable betting outcome for the Central Connecticut vs St. Joseph’s game

Central Connecticut Blue Devils Betting Preview

Last year the Blue Devils managed a 20-11 overall run with a 13-3 mark in NEC play. That would lead Central Connecticut to first place (tied with Merrimack) for the regular-season championship, but they would eventually lose to Wagner in the second game of the conference tourney.

In their first action of the 2024-25 season, the Blue Devils took on Providence. Central Connecticut held a two-point lead heading into the second half but eventually lost 59-55. Tops in scoring was Jordan Jones with 21 points and two rebounds. Abdul Momoh added 11 points as well.

St. Joseph’s Hawks Betting Preview

Over on the Hawks’ side, they posted a pretty solid 21-14 overall record last year with a shaky 9-9 run in the A-10. St. Joseph’s landed near the middle of the pack in the standings with that effort. After a loss to VCU in the conference tourney, their final game was a loss to Seton Hall in the opener of the NIT.

Matched up against Navy in their opener, St. Joseph’s faced a 33-28 deficit at halftime. The Hawks stormed back with a 42-30 run from there however and won 70-63. Erik Reynolds finished with 29 points and five rebounds, while Xzayvier Brown added 22 points and five boards.

Why the Saint Joseph’s Hawks will win

• Saint Joseph’s has won each of its last eight games at Michael J. Hagan Arena against non-AP-ranked opponents.
• Central Connecticut has lost nine of its last 10 road games against the Atlantic 10 Conference.
• Saint Joseph’s has won the first half in each of its last four home games against the Northeast Conference.

Why the Central Connecticut Blue Devils will win

• Central Connecticut has won four of its last five night games following a road loss.

Central Connecticut vs St. Joseph’s Prediction

I’ll probably stay with St. Joseph’s. The Hawks started out slowly versus Navy in their opener but eventually got it going in the second half. St. Joseph’s shot 43.5 percent from the field in that victory but also committed 17 turnovers and got out-rebounded 39-35. There’s plenty to clean up ahead of Friday’s game.

As for Central CT, they faded down the stretch against Providence, shooting just 31.5 percent from the field with an ugly 0-for-8 effort from 3-point range. The Blue Devils also lost the rebounding battle 43-33. Central Connecticut should have some more second-chance opportunities in this one but I don’t think they’ll cover without a much better shooting performance.