The Maine Black Bears (6-23, 3-11 AmEast) can snap a five-game road losing streak when they challenge the Albany Great Danes (20-9, 8-6 AmEast) at SEFCU Arena. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. ET on Saturday, February 24, 2018, and it can be seen on ESPN 3.
Maine Black Bears vs. Albany Great Danes Free Preview
In the Black Bears last outing, they fell to the Massachusetts-Lowell River Hawks, 88-76. With 18 points on 6-for-15 shooting, Aaron Calixte led Maine in scoring. Massachusetts-Lowell did a great job of making free throws (17-22; 77.3 percent). Maine, on the other hand, had an offensive rebounding percentage of 34.2 (above their season average of 25.5).
The Great Danes are hoping for a better outcome after their 68-60 loss to the UMBC Retrievers in their last contest. Joe Cremo was the top scorer from either team with 25 points on 8-for-18 shooting. UMBC did an excellent job of making free throws (13-15; 86.7 percent). Albany, meanwhile, had an offensive rebounding percentage of 44.4 (above their season average of 34.2).
The prolific offense of Albany will go head-to-head against the mid-tier defense of Maine. The Great Danes currently rank 57th in offensive efficiency, while the Black Bears are 209th in defensive efficiency. The Great Danes figure to have the edge on that side of the ball. Furthermore, the Black Bears rank 283rd in offensive rebounding percentage (25.8 percent), while the Great Danes rank 38th in defensive rebounding percentage (75.2 percent).
Cremo has been on fire over the last five games for Albany, averaging 19.0 points and 4.2 assists per game.
These teams have already met once this season. The Great Danes won 84-66. The Great Danes dominated nearly every facet of the game. They had a ridiculous free throw rate of 0.603 and a turnover percentage of 10.4. The Black Bears recorded marks of 0.321 and 15.0, respectively, for those same stats. In the victory, Cremo led all scorers with 22 points.
Maine Black Bears at Albany Great Danes Odds Prediction
Free Prediction: SU Winner – Albany, ATS Winner – Albany, O/U – Over
Betting Notes:
- The Great Danes rank 201st in assists per game (12.6) while the Black Bears rank 241st (11.6).
- Albany ranks seventh in rebounds allowed per game (29.9) while Maine ranks 270th (38.5).
- The Black Bears rank 86th in three pointers attempted per game (23.9) while the Great Danes rank 299th (15.4).
- Albany ranks 43rd in steals allowed per game (5.4) while Maine ranks 192nd (7.4).
Betting Trends:
- The Great Danes average margin of victory in their last five games has been 2.4, down from 6.0 for the season.
- During their last five games, the Black Bears have scored an average of 67.4 points per game (0.5 above their season average) and allowed an average of 73.8 points per game (1.0 below their season average).