Bryant vs Mount St. Mary’s 3/5/22 College Basketball Picks, Predictions, Odds

The 4-seed Mount St. Mary’s Mountaineers & 1-seed Bryant Bulldogs will square off at the Chace Athletic Center this Saturday night in the Semifinals of the Northeast Conference Tournament.

The 4-seed Mount St. Mary’s Mountaineers improved to 14-15 on the season after defeating the 5-seed St. Francis (BKN) Terriers, 78-48, this past Wednesday. Mount St. Mary’s dominated St. Francis (BKN) on both ends of the court and easily pulled away in the 2^nd half for the victory after taking a 53-38 lead with 11:14 left in regulation. Mount St. Mary’s shot 55.4% from the field & 46.2% from beyond the arc while holding St. Francis (BKN) to just 35.1% from the field & 28.0% from beyond the arc. Leading the way for the Mountaineers was Mezie Offurum who had 15 points, 7 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 block, & 3 steals.

On the season, Mount St. Mary’s is averaging 66.0 ppg on 44.3% shooting from the field. The Mountaineers are averaging 5.9 three-pointers per game on 34.4% shooting from beyond the arc. Offensively, Mount St. Mary’s has been led by Jalen Benjamin (13.2 ppg, 2.5 rpg, 4.1 apg), Mezie Offurum (11.3 ppg, 5.0 rpg, 1.6 apg, 1.1 spg), Nana Opoku (10.9 ppg, 6.4 rpg, 1.6 bpg), & Malik Jefferson (7.0 ppg, 6.8 rpg, 1.1 bpg).

Defensively, Mount St. Mary’s is holding their opponents to an average of 65.1 ppg on 43.0% shooting from the field. The Mountaineers have a rebound margin of 2.7 and a turnover margin of -0.9.

The 1-seed Bryant Bulldogs improved to 20-9 on the season after defeating the 9-seed Central Connecticut Blue Devils, 73-59, this past Wednesday. Bryant led by a 34-29 margin at halftime and was able to pull away in the 2^nd half after taking a 51-38 lead with 8:38 left in regulation. Bryant shot 49.2% from the field & 29.2% from beyond the arc while holding Central Connecticut to just 33.3% shooting from the field & 36.0% from beyond the arc. Leading the way for the Bulldogs was Charles Pride who had 24 points, 8 rebounds, 2 assists, & 3 steals.

On the season, Bryant is averaging 78.4 ppg on 43.7% shooting from the field. The Bulldogs are averaging 8.6 three-pointers per game on 30.8% shooting from beyond the arc. Offensively, Bryant has been led by Peter Kiss (25.1 ppg, 6.0 rpg, 3.3 apg, 1.5 spg), Charles Pride (18.0 ppg, 8.3 rpg, 2.6 apg, 1.6 spg), Adham Eleeda (10.8 ppg, 4.8 rpg), & Hall Elisias (8.8 ppg, 6.0 rpg, 2.8 bpg).

Defensively, Bryant is allowing their opponents to average 73.9 ppg on 41.5% shooting from the field. The Bulldogs have a rebound margin of 2.3 and a turnover margin of -1.6.

The Mountaineers are 15-13 ATS overall on the season, however, are just 1-4 ATS in their last 5 games vs. a team with a winning straight up record. The Bulldogs are 15-12-1 ATS overall on the season & 4-0 ATS in their last 4 games following a ATS loss.

Bryant was able to defeat Mount St. Mary’s in both regular season matchups as the Bulldogs won by a 73-66 margin at home in mid-January while winning at Mount St. Mary’s by a 62-61 margin in early February.

Bryant is a great offensive team as they come into this game ranked 29^th in scoring offense & 81^st in FG%, however, this is a team that can struggle defensively and had their hands full with a Mount St. Mary’s defense that ranks t-57^th in scoring defense. Mount St. Mary’s has the talent to matchup with Bryant in this one and as I expect the Mountaineers offense to have more success than we’re accustomed to seeing against the below-average Bryant defense, I’m taking the Mountaineers and the points. Good Luck!