Halftime Report

Sacred Heart is on the road but looking no worse for wear. After one quarter, neither squad has the contest in the bag, but Sacred Heart leads 41-38 over Niagara.

If Sacred Heart keeps playing like this, they'll bump their record up to 8-12 in no time. On the other hand, Niagara will have to make due with a 7-13 record unless they turn things around (and fast).

Who's Playing

Sacred Heart Pioneers @ Niagara Purple Eagles

Current Records: Sacred Heart 7-12, Niagara 7-12

How To Watch

What to Know

We've got another exciting MAAC matchup on schedule as the Sacred Heart Pioneers and the Niagara Purple Eagles are set to tip at 2:00 p.m. ET on Saturday at Gallagher Center. The Pioneers are strutting in with some offensive muscle as they've averaged 75.2 points per game this season.

Having struggled with four losses in a row, Sacred Heart finally turned things around against Canisius on Thursday. They walked away with a 93-84 victory over the Golden Griffins. Having run the score up that high, both teams might be doing some extra defensive drills very soon.

Sacred Heart was working as a unit and finished the game with 26 assists. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Canisius only posted 16.

Meanwhile, Niagara's recent rough patch got a bit rougher on Thursday after their fourth straight defeat. They fell just short of Marist by a score of 67-65.

Sacred Heart's win ended a four-game drought on the road and puts them at 7-12. As for Niagara, their loss dropped their record down to an identical 7-12.

Saturday's game is shaping up to be a scrappy contest: Sacred Heart has crashing the boards this season, having averaged 36.3 rebounds per game. It's a different story for Niagara, though, as they've been averaging only 31.2. Given Sacred Heart's sizable advantage in that area, Niagara will need to find a way to close that gap.

While only Sacred Heart took care of their fans the last time they played, both teams pleased bettors by covering the spread. Looking forward, Niagara is expected to win a tight contest, barring any buzzer beaters. For those looking to play the spread, careful betting on Niagara: they have a less-than-stellar 6-11-1 record against the spread this season.

Odds

Niagara is a slight 1.5-point favorite against Sacred Heart, according to the latest college basketball odds.

The line on this game has moved a bit since it opened, as it started out with the Pioneers as a 1-point favorite.


The over/under is 143 points.

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