Game of the Day: Saint Joseph’s vs St. John’s | 4:30 ET | ESPNU (Hall of Fame Holiday Showcase)
Saint Joseph’s this year has been one of the most inconsistent teams in the A-10. Granted, the Hawks have once again been plagued by injuries to key players, but the season still moves on. Today, SJU will face their toughest test yet, aside from #1 Villanova, but let’s not talk about that game. St. John’s comes in a 9-2 and is KenPom #49, with wins over Nebraska, Oregon State, UCF and a very good Grand Canyon team. The Hawks will need to bring their A-game to keep pace with the Red Storm this afternoon.
My Prediction: St. John’s 80, Saint Joseph’s 71
St. Bonaventure vs Northeastern | 7 ET | A-10 Network
The Bonnies are right where they need to be in terms of being on track to possibly make the NCAA Tournament. But given that a date with Syrcause is looming on the horizon, this has trap game written all over it. Northeastern is 7-4, already with two wins over KenPom top-100 teams (Bucknell and Vermont). The Huskies themselves are KenPom #125, which ranks higher than nine teams from the Atlantic 10. If St. Bonaventure doesn’t overlook Northeastern, this is absolutely a winnable game. They just cannot afford a repeat of Niagara.
My Prediction: St. Bonaventure 77, Northeastern 73
UMass vs Georgia State | 7 ET | A-10 Network
Coming off back-to-back wins over a Power 5 school (Providence and Georgia), UMass is arguably the hottest team in the Atlantic 10 right now. But Georgia State will prove to be another tough test, as the Panthers took Dayton to OT on the road in their most recent outing. Georgia State sits a 7-4 overall, with their best win coming over Tulane. Though this will likely be a close game, I don’t see the Minutemen losing this one.
My Prediction: UMass 70, Georgia State 63
George Washington vs New Hampshire |7 ET | A-10 Network
Fresh off a close loss to #6 Miami on Saturday, the Colonials will look to bounce back against the 3-7 Wildcats. UNH only has one win this season over a Division I opponent (Bryant, who is KenPom #340 out of 351 total teams), and they themselves are KenPom #266. Despite GW’s loss to Rider earlier in the season, this should be a relatively easy win for the Colonials. Which means either GW will win by 20+ or this will come down to the wire.
My Prediction: George Washington 60, New Hampshire 51
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