Saint Francis vs. Central Connecticut Picks and Prediction for Saturday, February 28, 2026
Use Code WWWC Saint Francis Red Flash (7-23) vs. Central Connecticut Blue Devils (17-11)
The 2025-26 college basketball season continues Saturday, February 28, with the Saint Francis Red Flash taking on the Central Connecticut Blue Devils in the Northeast Conference showdown at Detrick Gymnasium in New Britain, CT, so we’ve prepared the Saint Francis vs. Central Connecticut prediction to get you covered.
The Red Flash meet the Blue Devils for the second time this season, as they wrap up the NEC regular season. Back in January, Central Connecticut beat Saint Francis 98-90 as a 6.5-point road favorite, and the game flew over the 144.5-point line.
Read more about this Saint Francis vs. Central Connecticut prediction, and check out all our NCAAB picks for Saturday’s card. The tip-off at Detrick Gymnasium is set at 1:00 PM ET.
Saint Francis is coming off a heavy loss
The Saint Francis Red Flash (7-23; 13-15 ATS; 15-13 O/U) have only won one of their previous 10 games overall. Last Tuesday, the Red Flash put an end to their eight-game losing streak with a 73-67 road victory over New Haven. They shot 56.5% from the field, and senior forward Gestin Liberis led the way with 19 points and nine rebounds.
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Two days later, the Red Flash suffered a heavy 103-77 road loss at Stonehill. Saint Francis played lousy defense and missed 11 of its 22 free throws while shooting 45.4% from the field. Senior guard Skylar Wicks led the charge with 22 points and four assists, and Liberis added 15 points, six rebounds, and two blocks.
Wicks has done a great job this season, averaging 18.0 points, 6.8 rebounds, and 2.7 assists. Liberis tallies 7.2 points and 5.0 rebounds per game, while senior guard Zion Russell posts 12.6 points, 4.0 boards, and 2.9 assists per contest.
Saint Francis is 5-12 in conference play and No. 353 in the NCAA NET Rankings. The Red Flash score 101.5 points per 100 possessions (311th in the country) while surrendering a staggering 123.3 points in return (358th).
Central Connecticut hopes to avoid another upset
The Central Connecticut Blue Devils (17-11; 14-11-1 ATS; 16-10 O/U) put an end to their five-game winning streak last Saturday, suffering a 70-51 defeat at Chicago State. The Blue Devils were 3.5-point road favorites, but they shot just 30.9% from the field (5-for-24 from deep) and committed nine more turnovers than Chicago State (14-5).
Last Thursday, the Blue Devils bounced back with an 80-78 home victory over Mercyhurst. Central Connecticut made 54.9% of its field goals (4-for-10 from downtown), and sophomore forward Darin Smith Jr. led the way with 24 points and four rebounds. Junior forward Max Frazier had a good game, too, finishing with 17 points and 13 rebounds.
Smith Jr. is arguably the best player on this Central Connecticut team. He tallies 20.4 points and 5.1 rebounds per game. Frazier averages 12.1 points and 7.4 rebounds, while senior guard Jay Rodgers adds 11.5 points and 7.0 assists a night.
Central Connecticut is 11-6 in conference play and No. 282 in the NCAA NET Rankings. The Blue Devils score 106.4 points per 100 possessions (232nd in the country) while allowing 118.5 points in return (332nd).
Saint Francis vs. Central Connecticut Pick
Spread Pick for Saint Francis vs. Central Connecticut
- Central Connecticut (4 units)
Central Connecticut has already clinched the No. 2 seed in the NEC. On the other side, Saint Francis is in great danger of missing the NEC Championship Tournament. The Red Flash will qualify only if they beat the Blue Devils and Chicago State loses to Wagner on Saturday afternoon.
Saint Francis is one of the worst defensive teams in the country. The Red Flash are 364th in opposing 2-point percentage (60.3%) and 356th in opposing 3-point percentage (38.2%). The Blue Devils are not a great defensive team by any stretch of the imagination, but they still look better than Saint Francis.
Central Connecticut has nothing to play for, but the Blue Devils would certainly like to enter the NEC Championship Tournament on a high note. They are a better rebounding team than Saint Francis, and the Blue Devils make 35.9% of their shots from deep (69th in the country), so I have to take Central Connecticut in this game.
Over/Under Pick for Saint Francis vs. Central Connecticut
- Over (4 units)
The first meeting of the season between these two schools was a proper firecracker. The Blue Devils made 60.0% of their field goals (11-for-19 from deep), while the Red Flash shot 46.3% from the field (12-for-31 from deep). Central Connecticut tortured Saint Francis in the paint and earned 34 free throws (27-for-34).
I expect another high-scoring affair. As I noted, the Red Flash’s defense has been awful thus far. Saint Francis loves to play at a fast pace, notching 70.1 possessions per 40 minutes (48th in the country). Central Connecticut registers 65.1 possessions per 40 minutes (303rd), but the Blue Devils won’t hesitate to run up and down the floor in this matchup.
The over is 7-3 in Saint Francis’ last 10 games overall, and it is 9-1 in Central Connecticut’s previous 10 showings at home.
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