The Saint Peter's Peacocks look to continue their winning ways when they meet the Canisius Golden Griffins in the first of back-to-back games on New Year's Day in a key Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference matchup. The teams will also meet Saturday. Saint Peter's (6-3) has won two in a row and is tied for first place in the conference with Monmouth, Marist and Iona at 3-1. Canisius (1-3) has lost three in a row and is tied for sixth with Fairfield, Manhattan and Rider at 1-3.
Tip-off from the Koessler Athletic Center in Buffalo, N.Y., is set for 1 p.m. ET. Canisius leads the all-time series 47-36, but the series is tied 14-14 in games played at the KAC. The Peacocks are 5.5-point favorites in the latest Saint Peter's vs. Canisius odds, while the over-under for total points scored is set at 138. Before making any Canisius vs. Saint Peter's picks, you'll want to see the college basketball predictions from the model at SportsLine.
The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every Division I college basketball game 10,000 times. Over the past four-plus years, the proprietary computer model has generated an impressive profit of almost $2,600 for $100 players on its top-rated college basketball picks against the spread. It's off to a profitable start in the 2020-21 season, going 16-12 on all its top-rated picks and returning almost $400. Anyone who has followed it has seen huge returns.
Now, the model has set its sights on Saint Peter's vs. Canisius. You can head to SportsLine to see its picks. Here are several college basketball odds for Canisius vs. Saint Peter's:
- Saint Peter's vs. Canisius spread: Saint Peter's -5.5
- Saint Peter's vs. Canisius over-under: 138 points
- Saint Peter's vs. Canisius money line: Saint Peter's -241, Canisius +193
- SPU: Averages 15.1 assists per game
- CAN: This will be the Golden Griffins' first game on New Year's Day since 2012
What you need to know about Saint Peter's
The Peacocks have three players who average double figures, led by junior forward KC Ndefo, who is averaging 12.1 points, 5.3 rebounds, 1.3 assists, 1.7 steals and 3.4 blocks per game. He is hitting 50 percent of his shots from the field. Ndefo has reached double digits in seven of nine games, including 16 in the season opener against St. John's on Nov. 25. Last season, he was named the MAAC Defensive Player of the Year and Sixth Player of the Year, becoming the third player in conference history to win two major awards in the same season.
Also powering the offense is sophomore guard Daryl Banks III. Banks, who is a perfect 6 of 6 from the free throw line, is averaging 11.9 points, 3.7 rebounds, 1.9 assists and 1.1 steals per game. He has scored in double figures in six games, including a 19-point performance in the first of two games against Niagara. Last season, he made 21 starts in 30 appearances and played the second-most minutes for the team, totaling 664 minutes. He averaged 7.6 points per game and recorded 23 steals.
What you need to know about Canisius
The Golden Griffins are 1-0 when scoring 70 or more points and are led by senior guard Majesty Brandon, who is scoring at a 14.8 points per game clip. He is also averaging 2.8 rebounds, 1.8 steals and one assist. His best game was a 21-point performance in a 56-52 loss to Marist. Last season, he played in all 32 games with five starts, and led the team with a 13.9 points per game average, which ranked 10th in the MAAC.
Junior forward Malek Green is also a big part of Canisius' offense, averaging 11.3 points and eight rebounds. He posted a double-double with 13 rebounds and 11 points against Marist on Dec. 12. His most productive game was an 18-point performance against Marist on Dec. 11. He sat out last season after transferring from Morehead State after two years there. In his time at Morehead State, he played in 61 games with 35 starts and averaged 7.3 points and 5.2 rebounds.
How to make Saint Peter's vs. Canisius picks
The model has simulated Canisius vs. Saint Peter's 10,000 times and the results are in. It is leaning over on the total, and it's also generated a point-spread pick that is hitting in 60 percent of simulations. You can only see the pick at SportsLine.
So who wins Canisius vs. Saint Peter's? And which side of the spread cashes in 60 percent of simulations? Visit SportsLine now to find out which side of the spread you need to jump on, all from the model that has crushed its college basketball picks, and find out.
