- The Saint Peter’s Peacocks are 2.5-point favorites over the Monmouth Hawks in the final of the MAAC Tournament on Saturday, March 12
- Second-seeded Saint Peter’s reached the final without facing a team seeded higher than seventh
- The final will be the first time that #4 Monmouth is playing a higher-seeded school
The form charts have been flying out the window at the MAAC Tournament, which might be a little bit alarming for the Saint Peter’s Peacocks as they face the Monmouth Hawks in the tourney final.
The second-seeded Peacocks are a 2.5-point choice over the #4 Hawks in the MAAC tourney final. Monmouth is 7-0 against the spread this season as a betting underdog.
The MAAC Tournament championship game is slated for 4pm ET on Saturday, March 12 at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, NJ. ESPNU is carrying the broadcast.
Monmouth vs Saint Peter’s MAAC Tournament Final Odds
| Team | Moneyline | Spread | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monmouth | OFF | -2.5 (-110) | O 124.5 (-110) |
| Saint Peter’s | OFF | +2.5 (-110) | U 124.5 (-110) |
Odds as of March 12th at Caesars Sportsbook
Perhaps the good news for Saint Peter’s is that favorites carried the day in Friday’s semifinal action. The Peacocks toppled the #11 Quinnipiac Bobcats 64-52. Monmouth were 72-68 winners over the #9 Rider Broncs.
In the quarterfinals, Rider beat #1 seed Iona, while Quinnipiac upended third-seeded Siena.
Hawks Rally To Buck Broncs
Graduate student guard George Papas scored 17 of his game-high 20 points the second half as Monmouth dug in to overcome upstart Rider. The Broncs were just 14-19 on the season, while the Hawks are 21-12.
Still, Rider held an eight-point scoreboard advantage early in the second half. Monmouth put together a 16-6 run, ultimately taking a 48-43 lead with 12:34 to go in the game. During that run, Papas tallied half of the Hawks’ points. Papas scored nine points, all on free throws, during the final 56 seconds of the game to secure the win for Monmouth.
Your @TropicanaAC Player of the Game is George Papas from @MonmouthBBall ⛹️♂️🏀
•20 Points
•9/9 FT in Final MIN
•6 Rebounds
•3 Assists#MAACHoops || #maAChoops22 pic.twitter.com/eAJxsv36Fi— #MAACHoops (@MAACHoops) March 12, 2022
Balanced scoring is a key element for the Hawks. Monmouth shows three players among the MAAC’s top nine scorers. Papas (15.03 points per game) is fourth, Graduate student forward Walker Miller (14.72 ppg) is fifth and graduate student guard Shavar Reynolds Jr (14.10 ppg) is ninth. Senior forward Nikkei Rutty is fourth in the MAAC with 7.60 rebounds per game.
Peacocks Proudly Dispose Of Pesky Bobcats
Quinnipiac entered the MAAC tourney losers of six in a row. The 15-17 Bobcats took the floor Friday seeking to win three in a row for the first time since mid-January. They’d already disposed of #6 Marist and #3 Siena in previous tournament games.
The Peacocks (18-11) were having none of it, though. They won this semifinal battle handily by 12 points. Junior guard Matthew Lee led the way for Saint Peter’s with 14 points, one more than scored by senior forward KC Ndefo. Ndefo added seven rebounds and three blocked shots. Junior guard Doug Edert scored 10 points while grabbing seven boards.
AND THERE IT IS!!!
YOUR PEACOCKS ARE HEADED TO THE MAAC TITLE GAME FOR THE FIRST TIME SINCE 2011!!#StrutUp🦚 pic.twitter.com/kGvEc33rOs
— Saint Peter’s Men’s Basketball (@PeacocksMBB) March 12, 2022
Edert is the straw that keeps the Peacocks stirring. He’s third in the MAAC in 3-point field goal percentage (.417) and leading in free throw percentage (.891).
Ndefo leads the MAAC in blocked shots (2.7) and is tied for fifth in steals (1.3).
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Defense Name Of The Game For Saint Peter’s
The Peacocks are tenacious without the basketball and do a lot of the little things right. That could prove to be the difference in this game.
Saint Peter’s (.388) and Monmouth (.407) are 1-2 in the MAAC in field goal percentage allowed. The Peacocks are also #1 in 3-point field goal percentage allowed (.297). At the same time, they’re #2 in 3-point field goal percentage (.353). The Peacocks also hold the opposition to a conference-low 32.9 rebounds per game.
We have an opponent.
🆚 #2 Saint Peter’s for a title tomorrow at 4.#FlyHawks pic.twitter.com/EdAApyQNd5
— Monmouth Basketball (@MonmouthBBall) March 12, 2022
The Peacocks are the MAAC’s #1 defensive team. They allow 62.0 points per game. Saint Peter’s leads the MAAC in steals per game (7.45) and is second in blocked shots (4.90). The 5.1 margin of victory posted by the Peacocks is #2 in the MAAC.
Saint Peter’s won both regular-season meetings with Monmouth. There was a 67-62 home decision on Jan. 14 and a 70-65 road verdict on Feb. 25. The Hawks were beaten favorites in both games.
Pick: Saint Peter’s Peacocks -2.5 (-110).
The post Monmouth vs Saint Peter’s Picks, Odds and Lines for MAAC Title Game appeared first on Sports Betting Dime.
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