Who's Playing

St. Francis (Pa.) @ Central Connecticut State

Current Records: St. Francis (Pa.) 8-12; Central Connecticut State 5-17

What to Know

The Central Connecticut State Blue Devils are 3-12 against the St. Francis (Pa.) Red Flash since January of 2016, but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit Saturday. Central Connecticut State and St. Francis (Pa.) will face off in a Northeast battle at 1 p.m. ET at William H. Detrick Gymnasium. Given that both teams suffered a loss in their last game, they both have a little extra motivation heading into this game.

The Blue Devils lost 64-61 to the Merrimack Warriors on Thursday on a last-minute half-court bomb from Merrimack's guard Javon Bennett with 0:04 left to play. The contest was as close as the oddsmakers predicted, but Central Connecticut State had been the slight favorite coming in. Guard Kellen Amos had a pretty forgettable game, finishing with only nine points on 4-for-10 shooting in his 35 minutes on the court.

Meanwhile, St. Francis (Pa.) was within striking distance but couldn't close the gap on Thursday as they fell 87-82 to the Fairleigh Dickinson Knights. St. Francis (Pa.)'s defeat came about despite a quality game from forward Josh Cohen, who had 26 points along with seven boards and three blocks.

The losses put the Blue Devils at 5-17 and the Red Flash at 8-12. A pair of stats to keep an eye on: Central Connecticut State is stumbling into the matchup with the ninth fewest points per game in college basketball, having accrued only 64 on average. St. Francis (Pa.) has experienced some struggles of their own as they are 47th worst in college basketball in points allowed per game, with 73.9 on average. It's possible one of these Achilles' heels will wind up tripping the losing team up.

How To Watch

  • When: Saturday at 1 p.m. ET
  • Where: William H. Detrick Gymnasium -- New Britain, Connecticut
  • Follow: CBS Sports App

Odds

The Blue Devils are a slight 1.5-point favorite against the Red Flash, 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 1.5-point spread, and stayed right there.

Over/Under: -111

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Series History

St. Francis (Pa.) have won 12 out of their last 15 games against Central Connecticut State.

  • Dec 29, 2022 - St. Francis (Pa.) 80 vs. Central Connecticut State 72
  • Feb 24, 2022 - St. Francis (Pa.) 79 vs. Central Connecticut State 63
  • Jan 21, 2022 - St. Francis (Pa.) 68 vs. Central Connecticut State 67
  • Jan 31, 2021 - Central Connecticut State 85 vs. St. Francis (Pa.) 77
  • Jan 30, 2021 - St. Francis (Pa.) 62 vs. Central Connecticut State 59
  • Jan 30, 2020 - St. Francis (Pa.) 84 vs. Central Connecticut State 77
  • Jan 04, 2020 - St. Francis (Pa.) 93 vs. Central Connecticut State 69
  • Feb 07, 2019 - St. Francis (Pa.) 90 vs. Central Connecticut State 85
  • Jan 19, 2019 - St. Francis (Pa.) 80 vs. Central Connecticut State 69
  • Feb 15, 2018 - St. Francis (Pa.) 77 vs. Central Connecticut State 71
  • Dec 29, 2017 - Central Connecticut State 72 vs. St. Francis (Pa.) 68
  • Feb 16, 2017 - St. Francis (Pa.) 80 vs. Central Connecticut State 71
  • Jan 21, 2017 - Central Connecticut State 84 vs. St. Francis (Pa.) 83
  • Feb 06, 2016 - St. Francis (Pa.) 91 vs. Central Connecticut State 82
  • Jan 23, 2016 - St. Francis (Pa.) 79 vs. Central Connecticut State 64