#840 ASA PLAY ON 8* Quinnipiac -2.5 over Canisius, Friday at 1:00 PM ET - Really tough spot for Canisius here. Because of Covid protocol they haven’t played a game since January 2nd so nearly a full month and a half (44 days to be exact). On top of that they’ve barely practiced together as a team. Just when they thought they were coming back at the end of January vs this same Quinnipiac team, another player tested positive and they had to shut down again. At that time, their head coach Witherspoon mentioned this week that they’ve had maybe 4 or 5 practices since the start of January and this 2nd pause has again disrupted their ability to practice as a full team. Quinnipiac is just 3-5 in the MAAC but they’ve been very competitive. Their 5 losses in conference play have come by 3, 3, 7, 7, and in a loss in OT. The Bobcats just split on the road with Fairfield on Sunday & Monday and while their offense has struggled at times, they might be peaking with 2 of their top 3 performances (1.16 PPP & 1.18 PPP) coming in their last 3 games. If their offense shows up at all, they should win this game. Quinnipiac can struggle on that end of the court but their defense is outstanding. They rank 3rd nationally in eFG% defense, 6th in 2 point FG% defense, and 12th in 3 point FG% defense. They are facing a Canisius team that does not shoot the ball well ranking 302nd nationally in eFG% and 3 point %. Now with no practice and a long layoff facing a fantastic defensive team, this will be a very tough game for Canisius. Staying in basketball shape without playing games for 44 days is nearly impossible. We look for Canisius to be moving a step slow in this game and run out of gas in the 2nd half. Quinnipiac wins and covers at home.