The Wagner Seahawks (23-8, 16-4 NEC) and LIU Brooklyn Blackbirds (17-16, 12-8 NEC) will go head-to-head at Spiro Sports Center to bring the regular season to a close. The games Over/Under (O/U) has been set at 151.5 points with Wagner opening as an 8-point favorite. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. ET on Tuesday, March 6, 2018, and it can be seen on ESPN2.
LIU Brooklyn Blackbirds vs. Wagner Seahawks Free Preview
In the Blackbirds last matchup, they barely escaped the Fairleigh Dickinson Knights, 78-77. Raiquan Clark was the games leading scorer with 28 points on 11-for-15 shooting. The Blackbirds had a turnover percentage of 11.0 (better than their season average of 17.1) and had a better effective field goal percentage (0.500 vs. 0.492).
The Seahawks hope to maintain momentum after defeating the Robert Morris Colonials in their last game, 75-64. Romone Saunders played a pivotal role for Wagner with 18 points and seven rebounds. Wagner dominated every facet of the game. They had a superb free throw rate of 0.264 (above their season average of 0.262) and an offensive rebounding percentage of 22.2 (below their season average of 36.2). Robert Morris was 0.143 and 14.3, respectively, for those same stats.
When considering effective field goal percentage, Wagner should have a noteworthy edge. The Seahawks defense ranks 28th in effective field goal percentage allowed (0.470), while the LIU Brooklyn offense is ranked 130th in effective field goal percentage (0.523).
These two teams are complete opposites in terms of the O/U total. Games featuring LIU Brooklyn have finished under 60.0 percent of the time, while Wagner games have gone over 85.7 percent of the time. The Seahawks come into this game with a sizable advantage in terms of straight up (SU) and against the spread (ATS) records. They are 23-8 SU and 5-3 ATS, while the Blackbirds are 17-16 SU and 2-4 ATS.
Clark has taken his game to another level over the last five games for LIU Brooklyn, averaging 18.2 points and 8.8 rebounds per game.
These two teams have already met twice this season, each winning once. Julian Batts scored a game-high 21 points in the most recent game, in which the Blackbirds lost 78-74. The Seahawks 11.3 turnover percentage was their biggest strength over the Blackbirds, who had a rate of 19.2.
LIU Brooklyn Blackbirds at Wagner Seahawks ATS Prediction
Free Prediction: SU Winner – Wagner, ATS Winner – LIU Brooklyn, O/U – Over
Betting Notes:
- The Seahawks rank 97th in steals per game (6.5) while the Blackbirds rank 157th in steals allowed per game (6.6).
- Wagner is 3-0 ATS at home, while LIU Brooklyn is 1-3 ATS on the road.
- Of the Blackbirds 4 road games, they have 2 overs and 1 under.
- All 3 of the Seahawks home games have gone over.
- Wagner ranks 26th in rebounds per game (39.0) while LIU Brooklyn ranks 207th in rebounds allowed per game (36.2).
- The Blackbirds rank 44th in blocks allowed per game (2.7) while the Seahawks rank 157th (3.7).
- Wagner ranks 39th in assists allowed per game (11.4) while LIU Brooklyn ranks 125th (13.0).
Betting Trends:
- Wagner is 2-0 ATS with 2 overs in their last five games.
- Over their last five games, LIU Brooklyn is 1-1 ATS with 2 unders.
- The Seahawks average margin of victory in their last five games has been 3.6, down from 7.2 for the season.
- During their last five games, the Blackbirds have scored an average of 78.8 points per game (1.1 above their season average) and allowed an average of 71.6 points per game (5.4 below their season average).
