The St. Peter’s Peacocks (13-17, 8-13) and Rider Broncs (16-13, 13-7) meet Wednesday in a 2nd-round matchup in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) Tournament. Tip from the Jim Whelan Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, N.J., will be approximately 9:30 p.m. ET (ESPN+). Below, we analyze Tipico Sportsbook’s lines around the St. Peter’s vs. Rider odds, and make our expert college basketball picks, predictions and bets.
St. Peter’s made a historic run in the NCAA Tournament last season, becoming the first No. 15 seed to advance to the Elite Eight. After coach Shaheen Holloway bolted for Seton Hall, and nearly every star from that historic team transferred, it has been a challenging season for the Peacocks.
However, it’s tournament time, and St. Peter’s roughed up Fairfield by a 70-52 score in the opening round of the MAAC tourney. Is it time for another special and unlikely postseason run?
Rider served St. Peter’s its most recent loss, winning 73-60 in Jersey City as a 3.5-point favorite as the Over cashed. The Broncs also destroyed the Peacocks 82-61 on Feb. 3 to cover a 5-point number as the Over also hit.
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St. Peter’s vs. Rider odds
Provided by Tipico Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 8:01 a.m. ET.
- Moneyline (ML): Off the board
- Against the spread: St. Peter’s +7.5 (-115) | Rider -7.5 (-105)
- Over/Under (O/U): 126.5 (O: -110 | U: -110)
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St. Peter’s vs. Rider picks and predictions
Prediction
Rider 66, St. Peter’s 57
Moneyline
The moneyline was OTB at the time of publishing. Rider would likely be a little on the expensive side for a standalone bet, or a little too much risk for not enough reward.
AVOID, and focus on the spread instead.
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Against the spread
Roll with RIDER -7.5 (-115) in this MAAC tourney game, as it looks to clip St. Peter’s +7.5 (-105) before it can rev things up and go deep into the postseason.
The Broncs belted the Peacocks in both regular-season meetings, covering both outings rather easily. In fact, Rider won both contests by an average of 17.0 points per game. Ride with Rider to a cover, as the Broncs advance in rather easy fashion.
Over/Under
UNDER 126.5 (-110) is the lean, but it’s only worth playing lightly.
The Under is 5-2 in the last 7 games for St. Peter’s against teams with a winning overall record. St. Peter’s has cashed the Under at a 27-12 clip in the past 39 games after a cover, too. For Rider, the Under is 5-2-1 in the last 8 games when facing a team with a losing overall record, too.
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