The Merrimack Warriors and the University of St. Thomas Tommies meet Saturday in college basketball action from Dahlberg Arena. Merrimack is fresh off a Friday game versus Montana. In that one the Warriors lost by 11 points. As for St. Thomas, they played Troy in their Friday matchup. The Tommies ended up eking out a victory. Check back all season long for free college basketball picks at Sports Chat Place.
Merrimack began their year with a game versus St. John’s. The Warriors took a 97-72 loss in that one, but bounced back with a 64-48 win over Clark (Mass.) in game two. Merrimack would follow that up with a 73-54 loss to Troy.
In the Montana game on Friday, Merrimack had things all tied up 25-25 going into the second half. The Warriors gave up 37 points from there in a 62-51 loss. Topping the team was Ziggy Reid with 15 points, two rebounds and a steal.
Over on the St. Thomas side, their year began with a tough game against Creighton in a 72-60 defeat. The Tommies got wins over Chicago State and St. Francis BK, but lost to Montana in Thursday’s matchup.
On Friday versus Troy, St. Thomas faced a two-point deficit at the half. The Tommies went on a 42-38 run in the second for a 78-76 comeback win. Leading the way in scoring were Andrew Rhode and Riley Miller, each with 16 points and a combined seven assists.
PICK: I’m probably sticking with St. Thomas. The Tommies didn’t play too badly in their opener versus Creighton, notching a slim five-point deficit by the break. St. Thomas had a dud against Montana (78-59 loss), however they were solid in their first four outings otherwise. In Friday’s matchup against Troy, the Tommies trailed 34-23 in rebounding. St. Thomas’ 53.1 shooting percentage (12-of-28 from outside) helped overcome that deficit.
As for Merrimack, they shot a tepid 35.6 percent from the field and lost the rebounding battle 38-26 (9-5 offensive) in their defeat Friday. If the Warriors can start hot in Saturday’s game they’ll have a good chance at sticking around, but I don’t think they’ll cover.