The St. Joe’s Hawks opened their season with an 81-55 loss to #3 University of Houston at the Veterans Classic in a game where they showed some bright spots, along with some very rough patches. That game is likely to be the least competitive that the Hawks play all season, and fans should look forward to some fun games to come over the next six weeks.
In the first part of the schedule breakdown, the Hawks were 3-3 through their first six contests. The second part of this schedule breakdown will predict the last five non-conference games that the Hawks will play. Now it is time to take a look at the second half of the Hawks’ 2022-23 non-conference slate.
Temple University – 7 p.m. Dec. 6 @ Philadelphia
The Hawks begin the back half of their non-conference slate with a battle against their crosstown rivals in the Temple Owls. Temple was a completely different team in each of their first two games this season. The Owls were upset in overtime by the Wagner University Seahawks 76-73 in their opener before pulling off an upset of their own with a 68-64 win over Villanova University. Temple did not shoot the ball well in either of those games, averaging just 38.6% from the field and 23.3% from three. This has the potential to be a defensive struggle between two teams that are not very good offensively, but given Temple’s quality win over Villanova, it is hard to pick against them for this game.
Prediction: Temple
Saint Peter’s University – 1 p.m. Dec. 10 @ Hagan Arena
The Saint Peter’s Peacocks split their first two games of the season, winning 73-59 against New Jersey Institute of Technology and lost 80-44 against Seton Hall University. The Peacocks seem to be lost on offense without former Head Coach Shaheen Holloway. They averaged 58.5 points over their first two contests and shot just 35.9% from the field. St. Joe’s is a solid enough defensive team that is capable of handling what has looked like a dreadful offense so far. The Hawks should win this game.
Prediction: St. Joe’s
#16 Villanova University – 4 p.m. Dec. 17 @ Hagan Arena
The Villanova Wildcats have officially entered a new era in their program’s history. After 21 seasons and two national titles, Jay Wright retired as the head coach at Villanova. Kyle Neptune took over for Wright, and things have not gone smoothly. After beating LaSalle University 81-68 in their opener, the Wildcats were upset by Temple in a 68-64 loss. Senior guard Caleb Daniels and junior forward Eric Dixon are both playing well so far, averaging 21.5 and 19 points per game respectively. Daniels has also averaged 6.5 rebounds and three assists in the first two games. Although they suffered an early upset loss, it is hard to see a talented Villanova falling victim to another upset at the hands of the Hawks. The Wildcats should win this game pretty handily.
Prediction: Villanova
Sacred Heart University – 7 p.m. Dec. 19 @ Hagan Arena
The Pioneers of Sacred Heart won two of their first three contests, beating University of Hartford 77-70 and Columbia University 88-85. Sacred Heart’s lone loss came in the form of an 88-50 thrashing at the hands of Rutgers University. No one on Sacred Heart will blow you away, with senior guard Joey Reilly leading them in scoring with 15 points per game. St. Joe’s should be able to handle the Pioneers to claw back to .500.
Prediction: St. Joe’s
Central Connecticut State University – 7 p.m. Dec. 22 @ Hagan Arena
Central Connecticut State are off to a rough start this season. The Blue Devils dropped their first two games to the University of Massachusetts in a 94-67 blowout and a 72-70 loss to Quinnipiac University. Junior guard Kellen Amos carried the Blue Devils in their first two games. He averaged 24 points and shot 50% from the field. Nobody else on the team is averaging more than nine. The Hawks should be able to isolate Amos and shut down the Central Connecticut offense with ease en route to a win to end their non conference slate at 6-5.
