The Quinnipiac Bobcats will host Saint Peter’s on Thursday, Feb. 8 – their first of two meetings against the Peacocks in the team’s final stretch of the season.
The Bobcats come into this matchup after a comfortable 25-point win over Canisius last Sunday, extending their active win streak to nine games. Quinnipiac currently sits in first place in the MAAC with a conference record of 10-1 and an overall record of 18-4.
The Peacocks head into this game after a difficult weekend that saw them suffer two losses against Marist and Niagra. Their struggles ultimately led to their current conference record of 7-4, putting them in fourth place in the MAAC, three games back behind Quinnipiac.
Despite recent struggles, Saint Peter’s will be a difficult opponent for Quinnipiac, as the top-scoring Bobcat offense takes on the Peacocks’ lockdown defense. Quinnipiac leads the MAAC in points per game with an average of 78.5, while Saint Peter’s defense only allows an average of 63.7 points per game.
If the Peacocks are to snap the win streak of the Bobcats, they will need to make sure that they show up with their strong defense while also making sure to be aggressive on rebounds, as well as limit Quinnipiac’s three-point shooting.
One reason why Quinnipiac can score as much as they do is a result of the team’s impressive rebounding, averaging 4.1 more rebounds per game than its opponents. As a result, their big men, like senior forward Paul Otieno and sophomore forward Amarri Tice, get more involved. If Saint Peter’s controls the boards, they can limit opportunities for two of Quinnipiac’s big players.
The other key to the game is the three-point shooting of graduate guard Matt Balanc. The Bobcats’ top scorer attempts more three pointers than anyone else on the team by a large margin, but when Balanc is not shooting well from three, the team typically struggles.
When the Bobcats lost their first conference game against Canisius in December, he shot 14% from three. When Quinnipiac played them again later in the season, Balanc shot 60% from three and the Bobcats ultimately won.
Overall, this matchup comes down to top defense against top offense. Quinnipiac will want to play its normal game. It will be on Saint Peter’s and its defense to force Quinnipiac into adjustments.
