Merrimack vs Fairleigh Dickinson 2/17/22 College Basketball Picks, Predictions, Odds

The Fairleigh Dickinson Knights will travel to Hammel Court to take on the Merrimack Warriors this Thursday night in College Basketball action.

The Fairleigh Dickinson Knights snapped their 3-game losing streak and improved to 3-18 on the season after defeating the Sacred Heart Pioneers, 82-75, this past Saturday. Fairleigh Dickinson was solid on the offensive end against Sacred Heart and was able to pull away for the victory after taking a 71-57 lead with 4:38 left in regulation. Fairleigh Dickinson shot 48.4% from the field & 26.9% from beyond the arc while allowing Sacred Heart to shoot 41.5% from the field & 19.0% from beyond the arc. Leading the way for the Knights was Sebastien Lamaute who had 24 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist, & 2 steals.

On the season, Fairleigh Dickinson is averaging 65.7 ppg on 40.3% shooting from the field. The Knights are averaging 6.8 three-pointers per game on 32.4% shooting from beyond the arc. Offensively, Fairleigh Dickinson has been led by Brandon Rush (13.9 ppg, 2.7 rpg, 1.9 apg), Devon Dunn (10.4 ppg, 1.9 rpg, 2.2 apg), John Square Jr. (8.4 ppg, 4.7 rpg, 1.3 apg, 1.1 bpg), & Anquan Hill (7.2 ppg, 4.9 rpg, 1.1 apg, 1.0 bpg).

Defensively, Fairleigh Dickinson is allowing their opponents to average 78.7 ppg on 47.9% shooting from the field. The Knights have a rebound margin of -6.2 and a turnover margin of -0.8.

The Merrimack Warriors won their 2^nd straight game and improved to 11-15 on the season after defeating the Sacred Heart Pioneers, 70-63, this past Tuesday night. Merrimack was outstanding on both ends of the court in the 1^st half against Sacred Heart and was able to hold off the Pioneers for the victory after taking a 37-24 lead into halftime. Merrimack shot 51.0% from the field & 34.8% from beyond the arc while holding Sacred Heart to 39.3% shooting from the field & 15.0% from beyond the arc. Leading the way for the Warriors was Jordan Minor who had a double-double with 24 points, 10 rebounds, 1 assist, & 1 steal.

On the season, Merrimack is averaging 59.7 ppg on 41.1% shooting from the field. The Warriors are averaging 6.7 three-pointers per game on 32.0% shooting from beyond the arc. Offensively, Merrimack has been led by Jordon Minor (14.9 ppg, 8.0 rpg, 1.1 apg, 1.5 spg, 2.2 bpg), Ziggy Reid (9.9 ppg, 4.8 rpg, 1.1 apg, 1.2 spg), Mikey Watkins (9.7 ppg, 3.4 rpg, 3.9 apg, 1.8 spg), & Malik Edmead (9.7 ppg, 2.0 rpg, 2.5 apg, 1.6 spg).

Defensively, Merrimack is holding their opponents to an average of 64.3 ppg on 43.0% shooting from the field. The Warriors have a rebound margin of -10.1 and a turnover margin of 3.0.

The Knights are 0-4 ATS in their last 4 games following a ATS win & 0-4 ATS in their last 4 games vs. Merrimack. The Warriors are 12-3-1 ATS in their last 16 games vs. a team with a winning % below .400, however, are just 0-5-1 ATS in their last 6 home games.

Fairleigh Dickinson picked up a much-needed win over Sacred Heart, however, this is a team that comes into this game with just a 1-13 road record & currently ranks just 300^th in scoring offense & 339^th in scoring defense. Merrimack can struggle putting up points on the board, however, the Warriors have been great defensively this season and as Merrimack has been playing some of their best basketball of the season as of late, which includes a road win at Wagner, I think the play here is to take the Warriors to cover this home spread. Good Luck.