Columbia vs UMBC 12/6/22 College Basketball Picks, Predictions, Odds

The UMBC Retrievers and the Columbia Lions meet Tuesday in college basketball action from Levien Gym. UMBC is 5-4 overall this year and coming off a win over Lehigh. As for Columbia, they took on Sarah Lawrence on Sunday. In that one the Lions cruised in a blowout win. Check back all season long for free college basketball picks at Sports Chat Place.

UMBC went 2-2 over their first four games this year, beating Penn State York and Lafayette with losses to Tulane and Princeton. The Retrievers went 2-2 in their next four as well with wins over Central CT State and Coppin State alongside losses to UNCG and Georgetown. 

In Saturday’s matchup versus Lehigh, UMBC got back above .500 on the year. The Retrievers were up 48-21 by the break and cruised to an 88-62 win. Jacob Boonyasith was the top team scorer on 17 points, four rebounds and one assist. 

Over on the Columbia side, they went just 1-3 over their first four games with a lone win over Delaware State. The Lions hit a 2-4 run after that, losing to Maine, Binghamton, Providence and Marist with wins over SUNY Maritime and New Hampshire otherwise. 

Matched up against Sarah Lawrence on Sunday, the Lions didn’t have any trouble. Columbia scored 56 points in the first half and 50 more from there in a 106-65 blowout win. Zavian McLean led the way on 18 points with four boards. 

PICK: I’ll probably stick with UMBC here, but I’m probably not touching it. If both teams are on point it may be a fairly competitive matchup cover-wise. That said, the Retrievers have been scoring well over their last half-dozen games, posting 70 or more points in each of those outings. UMBC shot a nice 54.7 percent from the field and 40.7 percent (11-of-27) from 3-point range in their win over Lehigh, collecting 42 rebounds and 14 team assists along the way. Another well-rounded outing like that and the Retrievers will coast in this matchup.