Quinnipiac has had their fair share of struggles this season and faces another tough test Thursday night versus Monmouth in the first Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference game of the season for both teams. Last year, Monmouth defeated Quinnipiac in two matchups beating them at home 88-74, and at the TD Bank Sports Center 66-51. The Bobcats will be looking to ride on their newfound momentum, after defeating Indiana State 80-77 with some late game heroics by junior forward Chaise Daniels.
Players to Watch
Bobcats: One player to keep an eye out for is the previously mentioned Chaise Daniels. So far in this season he’s averaging 12.0 points per game, 6.6 rebounds per game and 1.0 block per game. Last game he hit a go-ahead jumper with 24 seconds left against Indiana State to seal the game. He should be bringing that confidence and momentum into this game against a Monmouth team that will be looking to shut him down with the likes of senior center Chris Brady.
Hawks: Senior point guard Justin Robinson is without a doubt the leader of this Hawks team despite his struggles in consistently shooting the ball this year. He’s averaging 13.7 points per game and 5.2 assists per game, all of this while shooting just 35 percent from the field. Last year he turned a lot of heads by averaging 19.3 points per game. Although he did struggle against the Bobcats last year, expect him to put up big numbers against a Bobcats team that is giving up 85.8 points per game on 50.2 percent on field goals allowed.
Keys to the Game
Bobcats: Ball movement. This is a Bobcats team that at times looks like they can really play in transition, and at other times, not do so at all. One of the biggest issues that is still present on this team is off the ball movement on the offensive side of the ball. If guys like Daniel Harris and Reggie Oliver can find ways to create space for good looks at the three ball while Phil Winston and Peter Kiss take advantage of transition opportunities, they could be in for a game as a whole.
Hawks: Taking smart shots on the offensive end. During this season, they’ve had their starters show promise of being able to stay consistent while shooting the ball but no one has truly been able to keep their shooting streaks going into the next game. One of their biggest issues is their reliability on guys such as Justin Robinson and Micah Seaborn to constantly take tough shots when nothing is there. Look for them to try to get better looks off of pick and rolls with Robinson and Brady, which in return could leave Seaborn open for some golden opportunities at the three ball.
X-Factors
Bobcats: Reggie Oliver. He’s shown flashes of being a go-to guy for the Bobcats on the perimeter, but he just hasn’t been able to put together a full 40 minutes. As of right now, he’s shooting a miserable 28.8 percent from the field. Although guys like Peter Kiss have been filling the void left by Oliver’s bad play, he’s going to have to contribute on both ends of the floor consistently if the Bobcats want to walk away with a victory.
Hawks: Micah Seaborn. Although he’s their number two guy and should be highly contested on the majority of looks that he takes in this game, he needs to guard the perimeter in this game and create turnovers. Quinnipiac tends to let things snowball once they start giving up turnovers. Although Seaborn should contribute on the offensive side at least in keeping the defense on its toes, his contribution on the defensive side will be something that will be huge in this game.
