Can Quinnipiac Earn Its First MAAC Regular-Season Championship?
The Fairfield vs Quinnipiac Odds Have Some Value!
The Quinnipiac Bobcats will look to hold on to first place in an exciting MAAC matchup against the Fairfield Stags.
Quinnipiac has never won the MAAC Regular Season Championship. However, the Bobcats are currently 11-3 and in sole possession of the title despite two consecutive losses to Mount St. Mary’s and Niagara.
As long as Quinnipiac wins out the rest of the way, the Bobcats will at least win the NCAAB regular season conference title. But clearly, that won’t be easy after the last two losses.
Meanwhile, Fairfield is 10-5 in conference play and just 1.5 games away from Quinnipiac in the MAAC college basketball rankings and standings. The Stags added a home win over Mount St. Mary’s and have won four of their last five games.
The one loss also came to Niagara, who beat Quinnipiac this month.
Basically, the MAAC has been wild. It’s anyone’s race between the Bobcats, Stags, Niagara, and Marist, who are just two games out of the conference’s first place.
The Bobcats and Stags will be featured on ESPNU at 9:00 pm EST with a lot on the line. Quinnipiac is favored by 2.5 points, with the total currently at 159.5.
Let’s break down the Fairfield vs Quinnipiac odds for this electric showdown in the MAAC.
Stags vs Bobcats 
Day/Time:
Location: M&T Bank Arena, Hamden, CT
Streaming: ESPNU
Fairfield vs Quinnipiac Odds & Trends
The Fairfield Stags might be 16-10 on the season. However, the Stags haven’t been profitable against the spread, covering in only 11 of 25 games this season.
Meanwhile, Fairfield has hit the Over in 17 of 25 games and has gone 8-5 on the road this year.
They’ll face a Quinnipiac team that has fared much better against the spread. The Bobcats have gone 14-9-1 against the spread and have also gone 11-2 at home straight up.
The Bobcats have hit the Under more than the Over, but are typically dominant at home.
On January 28, Quinnipiac escaped Fairfield on the road, 66-64, as a two-point underdog. Quinnipiac has earned wins against the spread over Fairfield in seven of the last ten NCAAB games head-to-head. One game was a push.
Fairfield’s Shooting Is Elite!
There’s a reason why Fairfield is hitting the Over in a lot of their games this season. On Sunday, the Stags just sunk 18 of 36 from downtown against Mount St. Mary’s. Brycen Goodine and Jasper Floyd each added at least 16 points. Floyd also contributed nine rebounds and five assists to help lead Fairfield to 94 points in regulation.
The Stags also added 22 assists as a team in the win.
Fairfield is ranked 24th in three-point shooting this season and has hit more than 75% from the foul line. That’s gone a long way for Fairfield this season.
Tom Pecora Was Extended
The Quinnipiac Bobcats aren’t used to this kind of success.
Tom Pecora was hired for his first season with the Bobcats and has made it memorable. Quinnipiac is fighting for the top spot in the MAAC regular season and is looking for an automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament with a 19-6 record heading into this game against Fairfield.
Pecora’s contract extension will be through the 2027-2028 season.
Before Quinnipiac, Pecora coached Hofstra from 2001-2010. He also coached at Fordham from 2010-2015 and joined the Quinnipiac staff as an associate head coach in 2017.
By April of 2023, Pecora got the head coaching job and has turned the program around with full control.
Another Tight Matchup
While Fairfield is known for its offensive shooting, the Bobcats are known for their defense.
The Stags have shot 37.3% from deep and 50.3% from inside the arc. They’ve also turned the ball over just 16.4% of the time this season. However, Fairfield hasn’t done well on the offensive glass, hauling in only 28.4% of offensive rebounds.
The Stags have also struggled to get to the foul line consistently. Therefore, they won’t get second chances or many freebies if Fairfield misses shots.
Meanwhile, the Bobcats have held NCAAB teams to a 49.3% effective field goal percentage. Opponents have hit only 33.9% from deep and 48.3% from inside against the Bobcats. On the glass, Quinnipiac has given up only 27.8% of offensive rebounds and also doesn’t send teams to the line very much.
Quinnipiac should be able to limit Fairfield.
Conversely, Fairfield has allowed a 51.9% effective field goal percentage. Opponents have hit 32.8% from three but 53.5% from inside the arc.
While the Bobcats aren’t super efficient from inside the arc, Quinnipiac still takes most of its shots from two-point range. They’ll get better looks around the rim against Fairfield, especially with Fairfield allowing 31.8% of offensive rebounds this season.
The Bobcats have grabbed 30.8% of offensive rebounds and have turned the ball over 17% of the time. Quinnipiac is also slightly better at the foul line.
Therefore, our NCAAB predictions are like Quinnipiac at home. The Bobcats match up better in most areas when looking at the NCAAB stats and will be at home.
After reviewing the Fairfield vs Quinnipiac odds, we’ll roll with the Bobcats at -2.5 (-110).
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