LIU vs Mount St. Mary’s 1/6/22 College Basketball Picks, Predictions, Odds

The Mount St. Mary’s Mountaineers will travel to the Steinberg Wellness Center to take on the Long Island University Sharks this Thursday night in College Basketball action.

The Mount St. Mary’s Mountaineers improved to 4-8 on the season after defeating the Morgan State Bears, 74-60, on December 18^th. Mount St. Mary’s led by a 36-30 margin at halftime and was able to pull away in the 2^nd half after taking a 68-52 lead with 5:28 left in regulation. Mount St. Mary’s shot 47.4% from the field & 43.5% from beyond the arc while allowing Morgan State to shoot 42.4% from the field & 16.7% from beyond the arc. Leading the way for the Mountaineers was Jalen Benjamin who had 17 points, 3 rebounds, 8 assists, & 1 steal.

On the season, Mount St. Mary’s is averaging 66.7 ppg on 42.8% shooting from the field. The Mountaineers are averaging 5.8 three-pointers per game on 33.7% shooting from beyond the arc. Offensively, Mount St. Mary’s has been led by Jalen Benjamin (13.4 ppg, 2.3 rpg, 4.4 apg), Nana Opoku (10.9 ppg, 5.6 rpg, 1.0 apg, 1.8 bpg), Mezie Offurum (10.6 ppg, 5.3 rpg, 1.5 apg, 1.1 spg), & Malik Jefferson (7.2 ppg, 7.2 rpg, 1.3 bpg).

Defensively, Mount St. Mary’s is allowing their opponents to average 72.8 ppg on 47.4% shooting from the field. The Mountaineers have a rebound margin of 0.2 and a turnover margin of -2.2.

The Long Island University Sharks lost their 2^nd straight game and dropped to 3-9 on the season after being defeated by the Merrimack Warriors, 82-77, this past Friday. Long Island University had no answers defensively for Merrimack and could not fight back after the Warriors took a 77-64 lead with 6:28 left in regulation. Long Island University shot 52.9% from the field & 25.0% from beyond the arc while allowing Merrimack to shoot 62.5% from the field & 65.4% from beyond the arc. Leading the way for the Sharks was Ty Flowers who had 23 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists, & 4 steals.

On the season, Long Island University is averaging 70.8 ppg on 42.2% shooting from the field. The Sharks are averaging 8.3 three-pointers per game on 31.3% shooting from beyond the arc. Offensively, Long Island University has been led by Ty Flowers (17.4 ppg, 6.6 rpg, 2.7 apg, 1.7 spg, 1.5 bpg), Eral Penn (15.1 ppg, 6.6 rpg, 1.8 apg), Isaac Kante (13.3 ppg, 7.8 rpg), & Kyndall Davis (8.5 ppg, 3.5 rpg, 1.7 apg, 1.2 spg).

Defensively, Long Island University is allowing their opponents to average 74.0 ppg on 42.6% shooting from the field. The Sharks have a rebound margin of -2.0 and a turnover margin of -0.6.

The Mountaineers are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 games vs. a team with a losing straight up record & 4-1 ATS in their last 5 road games. The Sharks are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 home games, however, are just 1-4 ATS in their last 5 Thursday games.

Mount St. Mary’s has struggled on both ends of the court this season as the Mountaineers come into this game ranked just 283^rd in scoring offense, t-275^th in scoring defense, & 338^th in defensive FG%. Long Island has also had their issues this season on both ends of the court as the Sharks come into this matchup ranked just 206^th in scoring offense, t-291^st in scoring defense, & 201^st in defensive FG%.

Mount St. Mary’s is just 1-6 on the road this season, however, they have played some tough competition and I’ve been encouraged by some of the Mountaineers performances which included a recent 11-point lost at a very good Santa Clara team. Long Island has been decent on the offensive end this season, however, this is a team that despite begin 3-0 at home this season, I think at best, matches the talent level of the Mountaineers. This is not a game I’m rushing to bet, however, if I had to put some money on it, I think the play here is to take Mount St. Mary’s and the points. Good Luck!