Marist vs Niagara College Basketball Picks, Odds, Predictions 3/11/21

The Niagara Purple Eagles and Marist Red Foxes meet Thursday in the college basketball MAAC Quarterfinal at the Jim Whelan Boardwalk Hall.

The Niagara Purple Eagles need a win after losing five of their last eight games. The Niagara Purple Eagles are averaging 64.6 points on 41.1 percent shooting and allowing 65.1 points on 42.6 percent shooting. Kobi Nwandu is averaging 14.5 points and 2.7 assists while Marcus Hammond is averaging 13.2 points and 5.7 rebounds. Justin Roberts is grabbing three rebounds and Jordan Cintron is grabbing 3.7 rebounds. The Niagara Purple Eagles are shooting 32.3 percent from beyond the arc and 70.6 percent from the free throw line. The Niagara Purple Eagles are allowing 33.5 percent shooting from deep and are grabbing 28.5 rebounds per game.

The Marist Red Foxes look for a win after winning five of their last seven games. The Marist Red Foxes are averaging 63.5 points on 43.2 percent shooting and allowing 63.5 points on 39.2 percent shooting. Ricardo Wright is averaging 11.4 points and 1.8 assists while Michael Cubbage is averaging 11 points and 5.3 rebounds. Raheim Sullivan is dishing 3.1 assists and Jordan Jones is grabbing 5.2 rebounds. The Marist Red Foxes are shooting 30.9 percent from beyond the arc and 68.5 percent from the free throw line. The Marist Red Foxes are allowing 31.2 percent shooting from deep and are grabbing 31.9 rebounds per game.

The Purple Eagles are 9-3 ATS in their last 12 games following a straight up loss. The Red Foxes are 2-6 ATS in their last 8 neutral site games and 4-0 ATS in their last 4 games overall. The under is 25-12-1 in Purple Eagles last 38 overall. The under is 5-1 in Red Foxes last 6 overall. 

Both of these teams have struggled with consistency all season and they split the two meetings during the regular season. The difference here is the Marist Red Foxes finished the regular season with wins in five of their last seven, while the Niagara Purple Eagles have lost five of their last eight. In a pick em contest, I’ll give the edge to the team that’s finding ways to win and probably a little higher on confidence. Give me Marist.