American vs Lehigh 1/1/22 College Basketball Picks, Predictions, Odds

The Lehigh Mountain Hawks will travel to Bender Arena to take on the American University Eagles this Saturday afternoon in College Basketball action.

The Lehigh Mountain Hawks snapped their 6-game losing streak and improved to 2-10 on the season after defeating the Eastern University Eagles, 70-63, this past Wednesday. Lehigh was solid offensively throughout the 2^nd half and was able to hold of Eastern University for the victory after taking a 64-56 lead with 2:51 left in regulation. Lehigh shot 41.1% from the field & 36.1% from beyond the arc while holding Eastern University to 36.6% shooting from the field & 0.0% shooting from beyond the arc. Leading the way for the Mountain Hawks was Evan Taylor who had 18 points, 8 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 block, & 3 steals.

On the season, Lehigh is averaging 63.3 ppg on 41.8% shooting from the field. The Mountain Hawks are averaging 6.2 three-pointers per game on 31.5% shooting from beyond the arc. Offensively, Lehigh has been led by Evan Taylor (12.3 ppg, 6.0 rpg, 1.3 apg, 1.1 spg), Jeameril Wilson (12.0 ppg, 4.6 rpg, 1.5 apg), Dominic Parolin (6.2 ppg, 6.4 rpg, 1.4 apg, 1.2 bpg), & Reed Fenton (5.7 ppg, 2.3 rpg, 1.1 apg).

Defensively, Lehigh is allowing their opponents to average 72.3 ppg on 42.3% shooting from the field. The Mountain Hawks have a rebound margin of -2.6 and a turnover margin of -5.2.

The American University Eagles had their 2-game winning streak snapped and dropped to 4-8 on the season after being defeated by the George Mason Patriots, 67-44, on December 21^st. American University had no answers on the offensive end for the George Mason defense and could not fight back after going into halftime trailing by a 34-18 margin. American University shot 38.1% from the field & 18.8% from beyond the arc while allowing George Mason to shoot 45.5% from the field & 35.7% from beyond the arc. Leading the way for the Eagles was Johnny O’Neil who had 15 points, 7 rebounds, 1 assist, & 1 block.

On the season, American University is averaging 65.6 ppg on 43.8% shooting from the field. The Eagles are averaging 5.8 three-pointers per game on 31.7% shooting from beyond the arc. Offensively, American University has been led by Stacy Beckton Jr. (13.3 ppg, 4.4 rpg, 1.3 apg, 1.3 spg), Johnny O’Neil (10.1 ppg, 4.87 rpg, 1.6 apg), Matt Rogers (10.0 ppg, 4.5 rpg, 2.1 apg), & Colin Smalls (9.6 ppg, 2.3 rpg, 2.9 apg, 1.2 spg).

Defensively, American University is allowing their opponents to average 78.2 ppg on 49.9% shooting from the field. The Eagles have a rebound margin of -4.3 and a turnover margin of -2.0.

The Mountain Hawks are 3-7 ATS in their last 10 games overall and 1-4 ATS in their last 5 Saturday games. The Eagles are 9-4 ATS in their last 13 home games and 5-2 ATS in their last 7 home games vs. a team with a losing road record.

Lehigh has struggled on both ends of the court this season as the Mountain Hawks come into this game ranked just t-319^th in scoring offense, 281^st in FG%, & 265^th in scoring defense. American University has picked up a few more wins than Lehigh, however, this is also a team that has issues on both ends of the court as the Eagles currently rank just 298^th in scoring offense, 330^th in scoring defense, & 348^th in defensive FG%.

Lehigh is 0-6 on the road this season but when comparing both teams, I’ve been more impressive with what I’ve seen by the Mountain Hawks as they have played a tougher schedule which includes a 73-70 OT loss at Rutgers. American University can really struggle on the offensive end as the Eagles have been held under 57 points on five occasions this season and as I think this game is going to come down to the final possession, I think the play here is to take Lehigh and the points. Good Luck!