Long Island Sharks vs Merrimack Warriors Prediction, Picks and Game Preview - 12/31/2021

Game Time: 2:00 pm ET, Friday, December 31, 2021

Venue:  Hammel Court, North Andover, MA

Where to Watch:  NEC Front Row

DraftKings:  Point Spread:  LIU NL, Merrimack NL; Over/Under:  NL points

Bet365:  Point Spread:  LIU +2.5, Merrimack -2.5; Over/Under:  129.5 points

BetMGM:  Point Spread:  LIU NL, Merrimack NL; Over/Under:  NL points

 

Long Island Sharks:  3-8 (8th place, Northeast)

Merrimack Warriors:  6-8 (2nd place, Northeast)

 

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Long Island Sharks:  2-3 last 5

Merrimack Warriors:  2-3 last 5

 

 

 

LIU is coming into this game with a 3-8 record overall and they are 0-8 in their road games this season where they will be in this game. This will be their 2nd conference matchup of the year and they are currently 0-1 in their conference games this season. They have won 2 of their last 3 games but are coming into this one off of a loss in their last game which snapped a 2 game winning streak that they were on. Their 2 wins were against the Merchant Marine Mariners and the Army Black Knights while their loss came against the Sacred Heart Pioneers in their last game. Tyrn Flowers led the team in points in that game with 36 while Isaac Kante was next on the team with 12 points. Eral Penn also scored 11 points in that one as well. Tre Wood led the team in assists in that game with 9 while Penn led the team in rebounds with 12. They are 41.4% from the field, 31.7% from 3-point range, and 68.2% from the free throw line with their shooting this season. Their offense is averaging 70.3 PPG and their defense is allowing their opponents to average 73.3 PPG against them. LIU has an ATS record of 5-5 this season and their O/U record is 4-6.

 

 

Merrimack is coming into this game with a 6-8 record overall and they are 4-2 in their home games this season where they will be in this game. This will be the 2nd conference matchup on their schedule this year and they are currently 1-0 in their conference games this season. Their last loss was against the Indiana Hoosiers but they have gone on a 2 game winning streak since then with wins coming against the Maine Black Bears and the St. Francis Brooklyn Terriers in their last game. Jordan Minor led the team in points in that game with 23 while Ziggy Reid was next on the team with 20 points. Mikey Watkins also scored 11 points and Malik Edmead scored 10 points in that one as well. Edmead led the team in assists in that game with 5 while Minor and Jordan McKoy both led the team in rebounds with 6 each. They are 38.3% from the field, 30.6% from 3-point range, and 56.9% from the free throw line with their shots this season. Their offense is averaging 56.9 PPG and their defense is allowing their opponents to average 62.2 PPG against them. Merrimack has an ATS record of 6-6-1 this season and their O/U record is 4-9.

 

Merrimack is coming into this game as a 2.5 point favorite with the current betting odds according to Draftkings Sportsbook. Merrimack has been playing well on a 2 game winning streak and they have a winning record at home this season. They are also 1-0 in conference games already while LIU is 0-1 and they have lost all 8 of their road games this season. LIU is going to struggle on the road here once again and they have even struggled in their first conference game as well. The best bet to place in this game is on Merrimack to cover the spread here. 

 

Long Island Merrimack Prediction:  Our NCAAB Pick for Friday, December 31, 2021 (2:00 pm ET start time) is Merrimack 62 LIU 55.

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Long Island Sharks: 7-13 O/U when the total is 130 to 139.5. 6-11 O/U when playing their 2nd game in 3 days. 6-12 O/U after a game where they made 78% of their free throws or better. 16-28 O/U after 1 or more consecutive unders. 4-8 O/U after 2 straight games where opponent was called for 15 or less fouls. 6-12 O/U off a road loss against a conference rival. 19-27 O/U after playing a game as an underdog.

Merrimack Warriors: 20-41 O/U in all games. 7-19 O/U when the total is 130 to 139.5. 9-18 O/U as a favorite. 13-24 O/U against conference opponents. 6-21 O/U when playing with one or less days rest. 12-23 O/U after a conference game. 6-17 O/U when playing their 2nd game in 3 days.

 

 

Long Island Sharks:  None.

Merrimack Warriors:  None.

 

 

“Mike made a big shot down the stretch and he was due for that. He’s been shooting great in practice and was getting a little down on himself early in the game, but he came up huge.” - Joe Gallo on his team’s win against Maine.

 

 

“Everybody’s tough to beat on the road. To win road games you’ve got to defend, you’ve got to rebound [and] you’ve got to take care of the ball, and we only had four turnovers tonight. It would be nice if a couple more of those basketballs went in the hoop for us, but I was happy with the way we scrapped.” - Joe Gallo on road games this season.

 

 

 

T. Flowers 

I. Kante 

E. Penn 

A. Rivera 

T. Wood

 

M. Derring 

D. Jensen 

J. Minor 

Z. Reid 

M. Watkins

 

 

PPG: T. Flowers (16.9)

APG: T. Wood (3.5)

Reb/G: I. Kante (8.2)

 

PPG: J. Minor (14.8)

APG: M. Watkins (3)

Reb/G: J. Minor (6.5)

 

Coaches:

Long Island Sharks: Derek Kellogg (5th season)

Merrimack Warriors: Joe Gallo (3rd season)