Central Connecticut (2-7, 2-4) vs. Sacred Heart (3-4, 3-3)
William Pitt Center – West Gym, Fairfield, Connecticut; Thursday, 7 p.m. EST
BOTTOM LINE: Sacred Heart looks for its 11th straight win in the head-to-head series over Central Connecticut. In its last 10 wins against the Blue Devils, Sacred Heart has won by an average of 15 points. Central Connecticut’s last win in the series came on Feb. 21, 2015, a 76-73 victory.
FRESHMAN QUARTET: Sacred Heart has relied heavily on its freshmen this year. Tyler Thomas, Matas Spokas, Bryce Johnson and Mike Sixsmith have combined to account for 59 percent of the team’s scoring this year and 66 percent of all Pioneers points over the last five games.
DIALING IT UP A NOTCH: The Pioneers have scored 72 points per game and allowed 77.5 points per game in conference play thus far. Those are both noticeable improvements over the 65.7 points scored and 86 points allowed per game to non-conference foes.
KEY CONTRIBUTIONS: Thomas has made or assisted on 49 percent of all Sacred Heart field goals over the last three games. The sophomore guard has accounted for 28 field goals and 11 assists in those games.
WINLESS WHEN: Central Connecticut is 0-6 when scoring fewer than 75 points and 2-1 when scoring at least 75.
COLD SPELL: Central Connecticut has lost its last three road games, scoring 67.7 points, while allowing 82.7 per game.
DID YOU KNOW: Sacred Heart has made 9.1 3-pointers per game this season, which is second-best among NEC teams. The Pioneers have averaged 11.7 3-pointers per game over their last three games.
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