The Quinnipiac Bobcats lead the MAAC at 11-3 in conference play and will look to separate further in the conference standings on Friday when they play host to the Fairfield Stags, who are currently tied for second place in the standings.
Fairfield Stags vs. Quinnipiac Bobcats (-2, 158.5)
This is the second meeting between these two teams with Quinnipiac going on the road and getting a 66-64 win on a night where neither team could get the normal shots to fall.
In the first meeting, both teams struggled from deep with Quinnipiac shooting 6-of-20 from 3-point range and Fairfield shooting 5-of-28 from 3-point range. So the question for the rematch is… how much improved will the shooting be?
Overall, Fairfield ranks 129th in the nation in opponent 3-point shooting percentage at 32.8% but has guarded the 3-point line way better when playing on the road, ranking 43rd (31.2%).
As for the Bobcats, guarding the 3-point arc has been perhaps their biggest issue this season, ranking 192nd in opponent 3-point shooting percentage at 33.9%, which goes up to 35.2% when playing at home. Overall, the defense has been solid — ranking 102nd in points allowed on a per-possession basis.
The Bobcats have also been playing at a pretty fast tempo this season, ranking 51st in the country in possessions per game while the Stags are a very mid-tempo team, ranking 177th in total possessions per game.
Both teams are also neither great nor terrible offensive teams with Quinnipiac ranked 153rd in points scored on a per-possession basis and Fairfield ranked 102nd in this category. However, neither team figures to get a lot of second chance opportunities in this game.
Fairfield grabs offensive rebounds on just 23.4% of its missed shots in road games this season, which ranks 267th in the nation for road offensive rebound rate. Quinnipiac grabs offensive rebounds on 28.4% of its missed shots at home, which ranks much better at 146th.
While Quinnipiac’s Savion Lewis ranks fourth among qualifying players in the nation with 7.3 assists per game, the Bobcats still rank 203rd in turnovers committed per possession at home this season.
With Fairfield ranked 39th in the nation in turnovers forced on a per-possession basis on defense, Friday’s MAAC showdown sets up to be another struggle for both offenses.
The Play: Fairfield vs. Quinnipiac Under 158.5
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