Binghamton Bearcats vs Saint Peter's Peacocks prediction: Saint Peter's hunts for offense after a 42-point opener against Binghamton

Saint Peter's needs a basket

Both teams lost their openers on Nov. 2, both on the road to high-major opponents. Saint Peter's loss was the more alarming. The Peacocks scored 42 points at Seton Hall and trailed 36-18 at halftime. They made just 22.2% of their two-point shots, 356th of 357 Division I teams. Their effective field goal percentage (a shooting measure that counts threes 1.5 times) was 33.0, 347th.

The one player who found the rim was Bryce Eaton, who scored 16 and hit 4 of 6 threes. Nobody else reached double figures. That offense now gets a much friendlier test. Binghamton let Northwestern shoot 77.3% inside the arc, 356th nationally, and the Wildcats scored 51 points in the first half alone. Northwestern and Seton Hall both rated inside the top 60 nationally last season, so neither opener says much about how these two stack up against each other. Tonight is the first real read on both.

Whistles and steals

Last season's Saint Peter's team was built on defensive chaos. It forced turnovers on 21.0% of opponent possessions, 18th in the country. It also fouled constantly: its opponent free throw rate ranked 358th of 365. Binghamton was built to exploit that habit, ranking 32nd in free throw rate last season.

The caveat matters more than the matchup. Saint Peter's brings back only 26.5% of last season's minutes, and leading scorer Brent Bland is now at Miami. Binghamton returns 36.6%. The fouling did carry over in game one, when Seton Hall attempted free throws at a rate of 50.0 per 100 field goal attempts. If the Bearcats attack the paint, the line could decide a single-digit game.

Quigley, Lilley and a familiar face

Binghamton's optimism rests on two preseason all-conference picks. The Bearcats were picked third in the America East, and coach Levell Sanders said, "It's nice to be placed higher than ever before."

Jeremiah Quigley averaged 14.5 points and 6.4 assists last season. He had a rough opener, making 20% of his shots while using nearly a third of Binghamton's possessions. Demetrius Lilley's season ended early last December with an injury. He came back with 11 points and 13 rebounds at Northwestern, and Bobby Montgomery Jr. added 10 in his debut.

The subplot wears Saint Peter's colors. Bryson Wilson started 22 games for Binghamton last season and averaged 9.9 points before transferring to Jersey City. He played seven minutes in his Peacocks debut. A couple of Binghamton staff members also have Saint Peter's ties, and the Peacocks lead the all-time series 3-1.

A slow game and the number

Neither team wants to run. Binghamton played at 63 possessions per 40 minutes in its opener, and Saint Peter's played at 61, 352nd nationally. Both were bottom-60 in pace last season too. Fewer possessions shrink the margin and pull the score down. Both openers went under, though those totals were set against far stronger opponents.

The market has made Saint Peter's a 7.75-point favorite with a 139.5 total, and neither number has moved since our feed first recorded the game Thursday morning. Last season these programs finished 171st and 338th in net efficiency, which explains the home team's standing as favorite. The returning-minutes numbers explain why the gap may be narrower than it looks. Saint Peter's was picked seventh in the Metro.

What to watch - Whether Saint Peter's can score inside against Binghamton's weak interior defense. - Binghamton's free throw attempts against a Peacocks team that fouls often. - Quigley's shot selection after his 20% night.