Posted at 11:00 AM EST. Odds subject to change.

Pinnacle -2 -107 BET365 -2 -110 Sportsinteraction -2 -110  888Sport -2 -110

Fairfield -2 over Quinnipiac

Leo D. Mahoney Arena, Fairfield, CT

Streaming: ESPN+

2:00 PM EST. The Bobcats of Quinnipiac are in the midst of a season-long six-game winning streak that has also seen them make six straight trips to the pay window. Entering today’s game, the Bobcats are 15-4 overall, and they sit atop the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) at 7-1. It’s a tremendous start to conference play for a program not expected to contend for a MAAC title this season. While not dismal, the expectations for Tom Pecora in his first season in Hamden were modest, with the Bobcats pegged to finish in the middle of the 11-team MAAC.

Pecora took over for former coach Baker Dunleavy, who left the program in the offseason for an admin position at Villanova after Quinnipiac lost six of its last nine games to go out like a lamb after putting themselves in the MAAC championship hunt heading into the final month of the season. The Bobcats still won 20 games, but the program was upended when Dunleavy split for ‘Nova with an influx of new players to replace those who left through the transfer portal.

Those new pieces under a new coach and a new system may look to be a fine mix on paper, but it must be noted that the Bobcats have feasted on one of the weakest non-conference schedules in the nation (336-of-362 Division I schools). Furthermore, when MAAC play is factored in, Quinnipiac’s full body of work thus far has come against the 355th-ranked schedule. Some of the cupcakes the Bobcats have feasted on include Coast Guard (D-II), Central Connecticut (248), Army (329), Albany (245), Stonehill (357), Niagara (264), Navy (311), Holy Cross (354), Lafayette (308), Rider (281), Manhattan (341), Marist (258), Siena (352), and Mount Saint Mary’s (265). That’s 14 weak wins, with their best win coming against 171 Iona last Sunday. The Bobcats' four losses came to MAAC rivals Canisius (250), as well as non-conference opponents, Yale (88), UMass (92), and Florida (36) where Quinnipiac got whacked by 25.

Meanwhile, the Stags of Fairfield are right where they were expected to be, contending for a MAAC title, as they sit in second place at 6-2, one game back of the Bobcats. Jay Young is in his fifth season in Fairfield and this was to be the Stags' breakout season. So far, that’s come to pass, as the Stags are 12-7 overall, and they have also played a more difficult schedule than Quinnipiac at 274. Fairfield was just 1-6 to start the season, but it played a pair of quality programs including Boston College (87) and Drexel (104). Losses to Queens University and New Hampshire look bad on the surface, but they were over two months ago and matter little today. Since that dismal start, the Stags are 11-1, but that run is overshadowed by the recent success of the Bobcats, and because of that, the Stags are short-priced on their home floor.

Sherwood

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------