Saint Peter's vs NJIT prediction: Saint Peter's rebuilt roster tests whether its turnover-hunting defense survives
The Peacocks bring back barely a quarter of last season's minutes, and their visit to NJIT shows whether their ball-hawking identity came with them.
- Expect a slow, low-scoring game built on turnovers and offensive rebounds, with both teams coming off poor shooting seasons.
- Saint Peter's pressure against NJIT's ball handling: the Peacocks ranked 7th nationally in steal rate last season.
- No spread or total is posted yet; last season's adjusted net ratings had Saint Peter's 250th and NJIT 337th.
A Peacocks roster starting over
Bashir Mason enters his fifth season at Saint Peter's with a mostly new team. Players on this roster accounted for just 26.5% of last season's minutes and 22.8% of its points, so the 17-12 team from 2025-26 is a loose guide at best.
The biggest loss is Brent Bland, now at Miami. He led the team at 13.9 points per game with an offensive rating of 123.9, by far the best on the roster. The offense now runs through Bryce Eaton, who averaged 11.1 points and 3.9 assists last season while taking more than a quarter of the team's possessions. Binghamton transfer Bryson Wilson adds 9.9 points and 4.4 rebounds from a starting role there, but he shot 24.1% from three.
Where possessions get won
Last season's Peacocks won games by taking the ball away and chasing their own misses. They forced turnovers on 21.0% of opponent possessions, 18th of 365, and grabbed 37.2% of their own misses, 16th in the country.
That pairs well with what NJIT showed last season. The Highlanders ranked 272nd in defensive rebound rate, the share of opponent misses a defense secures. Grant Billmeier's team gets a slight size edge, with a minutes-weighted average height of 76.9 inches to Saint Peter's 75.5. The open question is whether a guard-heavy Peacocks rotation can keep up that pressure without the players who built it.
Points will be scarce
Neither team made shots last season. Effective field goal percentage, which counts threes as 1.5 field goals, ranked Saint Peter's 342nd and NJIT 351st. NJIT's offense scored 98.6 points per 100 possessions, 354th nationally.
Tempo points the same way. Saint Peter's averaged 65 possessions per 40 minutes, 306th, one of the slower paces in Division I. Put that together with weak shooting on both sides and the game likely turns on a handful of extra possessions. That is where Saint Peter's style matters most.
The whistle and the home floor
Saint Peter's pressure has a cost. Opponents shot free throws at a rate of 46.1% of their field goal attempts last season, which ranked 358th of 365. NJIT got to the line at a middling rate last season (233rd) and made 70.7% of its free throws, but this is the one area where the Highlanders can take back what turnovers give away.
NJIT plays at home in Newark as part of the first America East–Metro Challenge, which runs Nov. 5 through Nov. 16. The Highlanders were picked fourth in the America East preseason poll, and sophomore guard David Bolden made the preseason all-conference team. They went 16-17 last season but reached the league semifinals as the No. 3 seed. In the teams' last meeting, on Nov. 11, 2023, Saint Peter's won 75-48 on this floor. Tip time hasn't been confirmed. The Saint Peter's schedule lists 4:00 p.m., while national listings still show it as TBA.
Key players
- Bryce Eaton (Saint Peter's): Averaged 11.1 points and 3.9 assists last season with a 25.5% usage rate, the highest among returners.
- Bryson Wilson (Saint Peter's): Started 22 games at Binghamton last season, averaging 9.9 points and 4.4 rebounds.
- Elijah Perkins (Saint Peter's): Started 19 games last season and played 25.4 minutes a night, scoring 3.9 points per game.
Numbers that matter
| Saint Peter's returning minutes | 26.5% | Most of last season's rotation is gone, so last season's team numbers describe a different roster. |
|---|---|---|
| Saint Peter's steal rate rank, last season | 7th | The defining trait of Mason's defense, and the clearest test for NJIT's ball handlers. |
| Saint Peter's offensive rebound %, last season | 37.2% | Ranked 16th nationally, against an NJIT defense that ranked 272nd in defensive rebound rate. |
| NJIT offensive efficiency rank, last season | 354th | The Highlanders scored 98.6 points per 100 possessions, among the lowest marks in Division I. |
| Saint Peter's opponent free throw rate rank, last season | 358th | Pressure brought fouls, which gives NJIT its best route to easy points. |
Saint Peter's vs NJIT: quick answers
When is Saint Peter's vs NJIT?
Sunday, November 8, 2026 at 12:00 AM ET.