Monmouth vs Niagara 1/30/22 College Basketball Picks, Predictions, Odds

The Niagara Purple Eagles will travel to the OceanFirst Bank Center to take on the Monmouth Hawks this Sunday afternoon in College Basketball action.

The Niagara Purple Eagles lost their 3^rd straight game and dropped to 8-11 on the season after being defeated by the Siena Saints, 60-56, this past Friday. Niagara led by a 26-24 margin at halftime, however, the Purple Eagles struggled a bit on the defensive end in the 2^nd have and Niagara could not fight back after Siena took a 52-47 lead with 3:31 left in regulation. Niagara shot 40.0% from the field & 6.7% from beyond the arc while allowing Siena to shoot 47.3% from the field & 10.0% from beyond the arc. Leading the way for the Purple Eagles was Sam Iorio who had a double-double with 15 points, 10 rebounds, & 2 steals.

On the season, Niagara is averaging 67.6 ppg on 44.6% shooting from the field. The Purple Eagles are averaging 7.2 three-pointers per game on 35.7% shooting from beyond the arc. Offensively, Niagara has been led by Marcus Hammond (17.3 ppg, 4.3 rpg, 2.7 apg), Jordan Cintron (10.5 ppg, 5.9 rpg, 1.6 apg, 1.7 spg), Noah Thomasson (9.5 ppg, 2.5 rpg, 3.5 apg), & Sam Iorio (7.7 ppg, 5.9 rpg, 1.2 apg). Marcus Hammond missed the Purple Eagles last game as he was in concussion protocol and it’s unclear if he will be available for this matchup.

Defensively, Niagara is holding their opponents to an average of 65.7 ppg on 41.7% shooting from the field. The Purple Eagles have a rebound margin of -2.3 and a turnover margin of 0.2.

The Monmouth Hawks won their 3^rd straight game and improved to 13-6 on the season after defeating the Canisius Golden Griffins, 72-67, this past Friday. Monmouth trailed by a 65-59 margin with just 5:23 left in regulation, however, the Hawks defense was outstanding down the stretch and Monmouth was able to avoid the upset loss after closing out the game on a 13-2 run. Monmouth shot 44.2% from the field & 31.3% from beyond the arc while allowing Canisius to shoot 39.3% from the field & 31.0% from beyond the arc. Leading the way for the Hawks was George Papas who had 22 points, 8 rebounds, 3 assists, & 2 blocks.

On the season, Monmouth is averaging 71.2 ppg on 43.7% shooting from the field. The Hawks are averaging 6.2 three-pointers per game on 33.1% shooting from beyond the arc. Offensively, Monmouth has been led by George Papas (15.9 ppg, 6.1 rpg, 3.2 apg, 1.2 spg), Walker Miller (14.6 ppg, 6.1 rpg, 1.0 apg, 1.1 bpg), Shavar Reynolds (14.6 ppg, 3.1 rpg, 2.2 apg), & Marcus McClary (9.7 ppg, 4.6 rpg, 1.4 apg).

Defensively, Monmouth is allowing their opponents to average 68.1 ppg on 39.5% shooting from the field. The Hawks have a rebound margin of 2.6 and a turnover margin of -0.6.

The Purple Eagles are 1-4 ATS in their last 5 games & just 6-12 ATS in their last 18 games vs. Monmouth. The Eagles are 15-4 ATS in their last 19 games & 9-1 ATS in their last 10 Sunday games.

Niagara has been led by their defense which ranks 92^nd in scoring defense & 116^th in defensive FG%, however, the Purple Eagles have struggled on the offensive end as they currently rank just 275^th in scoring offense & 154^th in FG%. Monmouth has been solid on both sides of the court this season as the Hawks currently rank t-184^th in scoring offense, 157^th in scoring defense, & 28^th in defensive FG%.

Niagara has been decent on the defense end this season, however, the offense, especially without Marcus Hammond, looked completely lost against Siena and it’s hard to imagine they have much success on the road against Monmouth. Monmouth is 5-2 at home and as I think their defense is going to give Niagara a bunch of trouble, I think the Hawks do enough to cover this large home spread. Good Luck!