Free Pick | NCAA | Saturday | Jan. 14

Free Pick Saturday: #634 NC A&T -5.5 over Stony Brook 1:00 PM CT

North Carolina A&T is just 7-11 on the season but this squad has two road wins already in CAA play including a notable win at Hofstra. Only six of 18 games this season for the Aggies have been home games with NC A&T 4-2 in those games. Stony Brook is 7-10 on the season but on an upswing with wins in five of the past eight games. On Thursday Stony Brook hung on for a significant 67-66 win hosting Drexel in a tense contest and this could be a tough spot to head back on the road. The Seawolves have plenty of problems in the statistical profile, notably on offense with a very high turnover rate and very poor shooting rates. This squad has been helped immensely by getting to the free throw line at great frequency and hitting those shots at an over 75 percent clip, including making twice as many free throws as Drexel in Thursday’s one-point win. NC A&T has not often fouled this season and has been a top five offensive efficiency team in CAA play, even while facing one of the most difficult conference paths so far. Stony Brook has in contrast already defeated Northeastern and Monmouth for a favorable draw in the surprising 3-1 start in league play. Both teams are making the leap to the Colonial this season but the Big South has been a dramatically stronger conference than America East in recent years and significant shooting edges for NC A&T should be present in this pairing in a clear letdown spot on the schedule for Stony Brook.