The UMass Minutemen and the Charlotte 49ers meet Sunday in college basketball action from HTC Center. UMass is 3-1 overall and coming off a close win versus Murray State. As for Charlotte, they’re sitting at 4-0 this year. The 49ers beat Tulsa in their last outing. Check back all season long for free college basketball picks at Sports Chat Place.
UMass began their 2022-23 campaign with a matchup versus Central Connecticut State, winning 94-67 before a loss to 67-55 to Towson in game two. The Minutemen were able to bounce back from that loss with a 66-63 win over Colorado.
In game four on Friday versus Murray State, the Minutemen faced a 36-33 deficit by halftime. UMass posted 38 points in the second half for a 71-69 win. Matt Cross led the way on 15 points and 14 boards, while Noah Fernandez added 14 points.
Over on the Charlotte side, it’s been smooth sailing so far—outside of a close game or two. The 49ers beat Coppin State in their opener this year 82-59, then took out MD Eastern Shore 80-47. Game three was a 54-42 win over Boise State.
On Friday versus Tulsa, Charlotte managed to take a 40-27 halftime lead. The 49ers were outscored 38-28 in the second half but hung on for the 68-65 win. Both Aly Khalifa and Lu’Cye Patterson scored 14 points apiece.
PICK: I’m going to try Charlotte but probably staying away. This should be a pretty good matchup regardless. The 49ers pulled back in the second half of the Tulsa game and didn’t shoot very well (2-of-12) from 3-point range. That said, Charlotte managed 50.8 percent from the field and won the rebounding battle 33-28. As for UMass, they’ve got a couple of scoring duds this year but should match up pretty well versus the 49ers.