Bryant vs UMBC 1/8/23 College Basketball Picks, Predictions, Odds

The UMBC Retrievers and the Bryant Bulldogs meet Sunday in college basketball action from Chace Athletic Center. UMBC comes into this game at 10-6 overall. The Retrievers beat Albany on Thursday. As for Bryant, they’re 10-5 this year after a loss to Vermont. Check back all season long for free college basketball picks at Sports Chat Place.

UMBC was 6-4 after 10 games this year, losing to Tulane, Princeton, UNCG and Georgetown. The Retrievers are 4-2 in their last six outings with wins over Morgan State, Loyola MD, William & Mary and Albany. 

In the Albany game, the Retrievers were up 40-32 going into the second half. UMBC kept the pace from there and ended up with a 92-83 victory. Jacob Boonyasith led the way on 21 points with seven assists. 

Over on the Bryant side, they were 7-3 after 10 games with losses to FAU, Brown and Cincinnati. The Bulldogs are 3-2 since then with wins versus Manhattan, Towson and Binghamton alongside losses to Liberty and Vermont. 

Matched up against Vermont on Thursday, the Bulldogs scored just 22 points in the first half and trailed by 11 points. Bryant hit 42 points from there but still lost 74-64. Earl Timberlake (17 points; 13 rebounds) and Antwan Walker (13 points; 13 rebounds) both doubled up. 

PICK: I’m going to take a stab on UMBC. You could probably make a great case either way here, however; it should be a great matchup. In any case, the Retrievers are on a pretty good run right now. Over the last nine games UMBC is 7-2, and they’ve hit 70 or more points in 11 of their last 13 outings. As for Bryant, they’re 4-2 in the last six with 69 or more points in four of those games. I like this one to be a pretty high-scoring matchup with UMBC eventually pulling out the cover. Should be a fun one.