Preview: Merrimack travels to Sacred Heart to open the second half

This matchup begins a stretch of all MAAC games for Merrimack the rest of the way

It’s MAAC play from here on out for Merrimack men’s basketball, which opens the second half of the season Monday afternoon at Sacred Heart with a 2 p.m. tipoff.

The Warriors enter conference play at 6-7 overall, but are trending in the right direction after winning four of their last five games. That stretch includes a 2-0 start in MAAC action, with early-month victories over Rider and Fairfield.

Merrimack was last in action on Dec. 14, dropping a 66-59 decision on the road at Vermont.

Sacred Heart comes in at 5-8 overall and 1-1 in league play. The Pioneers last took the floor on Dec. 22, when they suffered a lopsided 72-47 loss at Towson.

Game Details

When: Monday, 2 p.m.
Where: The Pitt Center (Fairfield, Conn.)
TV/Stream: Watch (ESPN+)

Team Statistics

Notes

— Sacred Heart’s roster presents a handful of matchup issues. Anquan Hill ranks among the nation’s top 100 players in both possession percentage and share of team shots while he’s on the floor. Mekhi Conner sits near the top of the national charts in assist rate, while Nyle Ralph-Beyer has been one of the most efficient perimeter shooters in the country, ranking 59th nationally at 47.8 percent from beyond the arc.

— Keep an eye on KC Ugwuakazi. His defensive impact has become increasingly evident, and his minutes are beginning to reflect it. After opening the season playing fewer than 10 minutes in two of the first three games, Ugwuakazi has logged 23 or more minutes in three of the last six contests. In the two games during that stretch where he didn’t reach 20 minutes — against La Salle and Princeton — he still played 19 and 18 minutes, respectively.

— The Warriors are 12-7 all-time against Sacred Heart in a series that dates back to their days together in the Northeast 10 at the Division II level. The first meeting came in 1992. Merrimack has won five of the last seven matchups, including an overtime victory in the MAAC Tournament last March.