Merrimack Warriors at Sacred Heart Pioneers Betting Prediction 01/02/20

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The Merrimack Warriors (6-7) will be at the William Pitt Center – West Gym to challenge the Sacred Heart Pioneers (7-6) in a NEC matchup. Action starts at 7:30 p.m. ET on Thursday, January 2, 2020.

Merrimack Warriors at Sacred Heart Pioneers ATS Odds

Both teams lost a close one in their last game. The Pioneers fell to the Lafayette Leopards, 67-66, while the Warriors were defeated by the Boston University Terriers, 69-67.

Merrimack did an excellent job of making free throws (9-11; 81.8 percent) while Sacred Heart did a terrific job of converting from the free throw line (12-17; 70.6 percent). Cameron Parker played a pivotal role for Sacred Heart with 16 points, eight rebounds and seven assists. Mikey Watkins, meanwhile had a solid performance for Merrimack, putting up 14 points.

It will be a battle of opposite paces as the up-and-down Pioneers will look to push the more grind-it-out Warriors. The Pioneers currently rank 37th in possessions per game while the Warriors are 340th. Ball security should be an advantage for the Warriors. They rank 60th at avoiding errors (turnover percentage of 17.4 percent), while the Pioneers force the 14th-fewest turnovers in the country (opponents’ turnover percentage of 16.4 percent).

Merrimack Warriors at Sacred Heart Pioneers Betting Pick

Free Pick: SU Winner – Sacred Heart, ATS Winner – Sacred Heart, O/U – Over

Betting Notes:

  • Sacred Heart ranks 10th in rebounds per game (42.0) while Merrimack ranks 271st (28.8).
  • The Pioneers average 15.1 assists per game, which ranks 58th in the country. The Warriors rank 201st in assists allowed per game (14.8).
  • Sacred Heart averages 3.8 blocks per game, which ranks 69th in the NCAA. Merrimack ranks 101st in blocks allowed per game (3.5).
  • The Warriors rank 11th in three pointers allowed per game (16.4) while the Pioneers rank 185th (23.5).
  • Merrimack ranks eighth in steals per game (10.1) while Sacred Heart ranks 154th (5.9).

Bettings Trends:

  • The Warriors’ average margin of defeat in their last five games has been 11.0, up from 0.1 for the season.
  • During their last five games, the Pioneers have scored an average of 77.6 points per game (0.6 below their season average) and allowed an average of 71.8 points per game (2.0 below their season average).