Central Connecticut State vs St. Francis-Pennsylvania 2/24/22 College Basketball Picks, Predictions, Odds

The St. Francis (PA) Red Flash will travel to William H. Detrick Gymnasium to take on the Central Connecticut Blue Devils this Thursday night in College Basketball action.

The St. Francis (PA) Red Flash lost their 3^rd straight game and dropped to 8-19 on the season after being defeated by the St. Francis (BKN) Terriers, 80-72 (OT), this past Saturday. St. Francis (PA) was able to fight back from a late deficit to force OT after Josh Cohen hit a pair of game-tying FT’s with just :03 seconds left in regulation, however, the Red Flash defense struggled in OT and could not fight back after a Patrick Emilien layup for the Terriers gave St. Francis (BKN) a 74-68 lead with 1:49 left in regulation. St. Francis (PA) shot 39.7% from the field & 23.5% from beyond the arc while allowing St. Francis (BKN) to shoot 39.1% from the field & 41.7% from beyond the arc. Leading the way for the Red Flash was Josh Cohen who had 25 points, 8 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal, & 1 block.

On the season, St. Francis (PA) is averaging 68.8 ppg on 42.1% shooting from the field. The Red Flash are averaging 5.9 three-pointers per game on 31.3% shooting from beyond the arc. Offensively, St. Francis (PA) has been led by Ramiir Dixon-Conover (12.5 ppg, 4.6 rpg, 3.5 apg, 2.2 spg), Josh Cohen (12.3 ppg, 6.9 rpg, 1.7 apg), Ronell Giles Jr. (10.8 ppg, 3.5 rpg, 2.4 apg, 1.5 spg), & Maxwell Land (10.8 ppg, 4.1 rpg, 1.7 apg). Ronell Giles Jr. has missed all but one game since early January and should be considered at best, questionable for this matchup.

Defensively, St. Francis (PA) is allowing their opponents to average 73.3 ppg on 44.7% shooting from the field. The Red Flash have a rebound margin of -0.9 and a turnover margin of 0.5.

The Central Connecticut Blue Devils lost their 3^rd straight game and dropped to 5-11 on the season after being defeated by the Wagner Seahawks, 78-68, this past Saturday. Central Connecticut trailed by a 32-26 margin at halftime and could not fight back after the Seahawks took a 54-40 lead with 11:45 left in regulation. Central Connecticut shot 41.9% from the field & 36.4% from beyond the arc while allowing Wagner to shoot 50.0% from the field & 22.2% from beyond the arc. Leading the way for the Blue Devils was Nigel Scantlebury who had 20 points, 2 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 block, & 1 steal.

On the season, Central Connecticut is averaging 62.2 ppg on 39.8% shooting from the field. The Blue Devils are averaging 7.3 three-pointers per game on 34.3% shooting from beyond the arc. Offensively, Central Connecticut has been led by Nigel Scantlebury (12.2 ppg, 3.1 rpg, 3.5 apg), Ian Krishnan (10.3 ppg, 2.2 rpg), Andre Snoddy (8.1 ppg, 7.1 rpg, 1.6 apg), & Tre Mitchell (6.8 ppg, 2.9 rpg, 1.2 apg).

Defensively, Central Connecticut is allowing their opponents to average 72.3 ppg on 45.7% shooting from the field. The Blue Devils have a rebound margin of -4.6 and a turnover margin of -1.3.

The Red Flash are 0-4 ATS in their last 4 road games following three or more consecutive home games & 1-7-1 ATS in their last 9 Thursday games. The Blue Devils are 8-2 ATS in their last 10 home games & 4-1 ATS in their last 5 games following a straight up loss.

St. Francis (PA) has lost 7 of their last 8 games and has struggled on both ends of the court this season as the Blue Devils come into this game ranked just 239^th in scoring offense, 274^th in FG%, & 282^nd in scoring defense. Central Connecticut has also struggled on both ends of the court, ranking 339^th in scoring offense & 260^th in scoring defense, however, the Blue Devils have been playing solid basketball as of late, which includes a win at Merrimack. Central Connecticut has been decent at home this season and between the fact that the Blue Devils lost by just a 68-67 margin at St. Francis (PA) and that they are playing the better basketball as of late, I’m taking Central Connecticut and the point. Good Luck!