The Fairleigh Dickinson Knights and Merrimack Warriors meet Thursday in college basketball action at the Hammel Court.

The Fairleigh Dickinson Knights need a win here to rebound from a 2-6 record. The Fairleigh Dickinson Knights are averaging 71.1 points on 44.6 percent shooting and allowing 80.9 points on 49.4 percent shooting. Brandon Rush is averaging 15.9 points and 4.3 rebounds while Jahlil Jenkins is averaging 14.8 points and 3.4 assists. Elyjah Williams is the third double-digit scorer and Joe Munden Jr. is grabbing 3.9 rebounds. The Fairleigh Dickinson Knights are shooting 35.7 percent from beyond the arc and 65.5 percent from the free thitem line. The Fairleigh Dickinson Knights are allowing 31.7 percent shooting from deep and are grabbing 29.4 rebounds per game.

The Merrimack Warriors need a win here to snap a three-game losing streak. The Merrimack Warriors are averaging 67 points on 43.3 percent shooting and allowing 74.5 points on 46.8 percent shooting. Mikey Watkins is averaging 13.5 points and 3.8 rebounds while Jordan Minor is averaging 12.5 points and 8.3 rebounds. Malik Edmead is the third double-digit scorer and Ziggy Reid is grabbing six rebounds. The Merrimack Warriors are shooting 29.4 percent from beyond the arc and 64.9 percent from the free thitem line. The Merrimack Warriors are allowing 45.1 percent shooting from deep and are grabbing 26.8 rebounds per game.

The Knights are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 Thursday games. The Warriors are 10-4 ATS in their last 14 home games and 1-5 ATS in their last 6 games overall. The over is 11-4 in Knights last 15 overall. The under is 10-4 in Warriors last 14 overall. The under is 5-2 in Warriors last 7 home games. The over is 6-2 in Knights last 8 road games.

The Fairleigh Dickinson Knights are one of the worst defensive teams in the country and are a club I’m not trying to back. The Merrimack Warriors aren’t playing great ball in their own right, but they’ve been better on both sides of the court than Fairleigh Dickinson. In the battle between two losing teams, Merrimack is the better side and should win this contest. I’ll lay the bucket.