Who's Playing

Bucknell @ American

Current Records: Bucknell 3-14; American 4-9

What to Know

The American Eagles won both of their matches against the Bucknell Bison last season (78-71 and 81-68) and are aiming for the same result Sunday. American has the luxury of staying home another game and will welcome Bucknell at 2 p.m. ET Jan. 16 at Bender Arena. Both teams were wiped off the court in their previous games and will be looking to bounce back in a big way.

The Eagles have to be hurting after a devastating 79-53 defeat at the hands of the Boston University Terriers last week. Guard Colin Smalls wasn't much of a difference maker for American; Smalls finished with ten points on 4-for-11 shooting and turned the ball over four times in his 39 minutes on the court.

Meanwhile, it's never fun to lose, and it's even less fun to lose 97-64, which was the final score in Bucknell's tilt against the Lehigh Mountain Hawks this past Thursday.

Barring any buzzer beaters, American is expected to win a tight contest. Now might not be the best time to take American against the spread since they've let down bettors for the past three consecutive games.

The losses put the Eagles at 4-9 and the Bison at 3-14. A pair of defensive numbers to keep in mind before tip-off: American has allowed their opponents to shoot 49.30% from the floor on average, which is the 356th highest shooting percentage allowed in college basketball. Bucknell has experienced some struggles of their own as they are stumbling into the matchup with the 350th most points allowed per game in college basketball, having given up 80.8 on average. It's possible one of these Achilles' heels will wind up tripping the losing team up.

How To Watch

  • When: Sunday at 2 p.m. ET
  • Where: Bender Arena -- Washington, District of Columbia
  • Follow: CBS Sports App

Odds

The Eagles are a slight 1-point favorite against the Bison, according to the latest college basketball odds.

The oddsmakers were right in line with the betting community on this one, as the game opened as a 1-point spread, and stayed right there.

Over/Under: -111

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Series History

Bucknell have won eight out of their last 13 games against American.

  • Feb 28, 2021 - American 81 vs. Bucknell 68
  • Feb 27, 2021 - American 78 vs. Bucknell 71
  • Mar 05, 2020 - Bucknell 64 vs. American 59
  • Feb 15, 2020 - Bucknell 72 vs. American 68
  • Jan 15, 2020 - American 61 vs. Bucknell 60
  • Jan 26, 2019 - American 76 vs. Bucknell 68
  • Jan 12, 2019 - Bucknell 55 vs. American 54
  • Feb 24, 2018 - Bucknell 80 vs. American 61
  • Dec 29, 2017 - Bucknell 84 vs. American 55
  • Feb 01, 2017 - Bucknell 80 vs. American 60
  • Jan 05, 2017 - Bucknell 69 vs. American 60
  • Feb 03, 2016 - American 69 vs. Bucknell 55
  • Jan 06, 2016 - Bucknell 72 vs. American 54