The Merrimack College Warriors and the Indiana Hoosiers meet Sunday in college basketball action from Bloomington Assembly Hall. Merrimack enters this one at 4-7 so far. The Warriors are fresh off a loss to Gonzaga. As for the Hoosiers, they’re 7-2 this year and coming off a loss to Wisconsin. Check back all season long for free college basketball picks at Sports Chat Place.
Merrimack started out the year on a 4-3 run, taking out Emerson, NJIT, Lehigh and Hartford during that stretch. The Warriors have since lost four straight to Boston U, UMass Lowell, Brown and Gonzaga.
In the Gonzaga game on Thursday, Merrimack posted 31 points in the first half and just 24 in the second on the way to an 80-55 blowout loss. Jordan Minor was the top scorer on the team with 17 points and seven rebounds.
Over on the Hoosiers’ side, their year began with wins over Eastern Michigan, NIU, St. John’s, Louisiana, Jackson State and Marshall. The Hoosiers have gone 1-2 since with a win over Nebraska alongside losses to Syracuse and Wisconsin.
In the Wisconsin game on Wednesday, Indiana posted a 42-25 edge in the first half. The Hoosiers dropped a dud from there with just 17 points in a 64-59 loss. Race Thompson was the team’s top scorer on 12 points and nine rebounds.
The Hoosiers are 6-1 ATS in the last seven Sunday games and 1-5 ATS in their last six after a straight-up loss. Indiana is 4-0 ATS in the last four at home.
Meanwhile, the Warriors are 1-4-1 ATS in their last six after an ATS win and the under is 6-2 in their last eight Sunday games. The under is 22-6-1 in Merrimack’s last 29 after an ATS win.
PICK: I’m going to try Indiana, but probably staying away. The Hoosiers had a miserable second half against Wisconsin, and they ended up shooting 38.7 percent from the field with 44 rebounds and 14 assists throughout the game. Indiana allowed an 11-0 scoring run late.
Merrimack is a reasonable opponent for Indiana, but they’ve got to play better. I think the Hoosiers will bounce back and get a cover here in a complete game.