he Holy Cross Crusaders (3-8, 0-2 Pat) will try to snap a five-game road losing streak when they take on the Lehigh Mountain Hawks (6-7, 1-1 Pat) at Stabler Arena. Action gets underway at 7 p.m. ET on Friday, January 5, 2018.
Holy Cross Crusaders at Lehigh Mountain Hawks Betting Preview
,he Crusaders fell to the Lafayette Leopards in their last outing, 60-48. With 13 points on 3-for-7 shooting, Karl Charles led Holy Cross in scoring. Lafayette did a fantastic job of converting from the free throw line (13-16; 81.3 percent). Holy Cross, meanwhile, had a better turnover percentage (18.9 vs. 20.0).
he last time the Mountain Hawks played, they were topped by the Navy Midshipmen, 78-66. Jordan Cohen led Lehigh in scoring with 17 points on 6-for-15 shooting. Navy’s 0.328 free throw rate was their biggest advantage over Lehigh, who had a mark of 0.164. The Midshipmen’s mark was above their season average of 0.264, while the Mountain Hawks was below the 0.235 mark opponents have averaged against Navy this season.
onflicting styles will be on display in this battle. Lehigh has preferred a fast-breaking style of play (87th in possessions per game), while Holy Cross has been more methodical (325th in possessions per game).
his will be the first matchup of the year between these two teams, after splitting two games last season. In the most recent game, the Crusaders won 61-45. The Crusaders played a nearly flawless game. They had an effective field goal percentage of 0.523 and a turnover percentage of 14.4. For those same stats, the Mountain Hawks had marks of 0.344 and 21.8, respectively.
Holy Cross Crusaders vs. Lehigh Mountain Hawks ATS Prediction
redictions: SU Winner – Lehigh, ATS Winner – Lehigh, O/U – Under
Betting Notes:
- The Crusaders rank 170th in assists per game (13.2) while the Mountain Hawks rank 216th in assists allowed per game (16.0).
- Lehigh ranks 14th in steals allowed per game (4.7) while Holy Cross ranks 46th (5.5).
- Holy Cross averages 22.8 three pointers per game, which ranks 122nd in the nation. Lehigh ranks 252nd in three pointers allowed per game (27.0).
- The Mountain Hawks rank 157th in rebounds per game (35.6) while the Crusaders rank 269th (27.2).
- Holy Cross ranks ninth in blocks allowed per game (2.0) while Lehigh ranks 75th (3.2).
Betting Trends:
- The Mountain Hawks average margin of defeat in their last five games has been 3.0, up from 2.9 for the season.
- During their last five games, the Crusaders have scored an average of 63.4 points per game (1.4 below their season average) and allowed an average of 70.0 points per game (2.7 below their season average).
