Navy (3-4) vs. Maine (4-3)
December 1, 2024 12:00 pm EDT
The Line: Maine -3; Over/Under: 133
(Get latest betting odds)
The Navy Midshipmen and the Maine Black Bears meet Sunday in college basketball action from the Palestra. Here’s a Maine vs Navy prediction. We will look at this from a betting perspective and determine the best Maine vs Navy pick.
Navy Midshipmen Betting Preview
The Midshipmen limped to a rough 1-4 start this year with a lone win over Harvard among losses to St. Joseph’s, Rider, Campbell, and Quinnipiac. After that came a pair of wins over Washington MD and Penn, however.
On Saturday versus Elon, Navy trailed by eight points at the break. The Midshipmen got better in the second half but still ended up losing 69-63. Tops in scoring was Austin Benigni with 18 points and four rebounds alongside three assists. Navy will take on NJIT after this game.
Maine Black Bears Betting Preview
Over on the Maine side, they went 2-3 out of the gate with losses to Duke, Quinnipiac, and Richmond alongside wins over UMFK and Brown. The Black Bears recovered with a pair of wins over Holy Cross and Elon in the next two.
In their matchup with Penn on Saturday, the Bears were down 41-35 at halftime and didn’t get any closer on a 36-29 second for a 77-64 defeat. Leading team scorer Kellen Tynes put up 15 points with six assists and three steals in the defeat.
Why the Navy Midshipmen will win
- Navy has won four of its last five games played at neutral venues.
- Maine has lost three of its last four day games against the Patriot League.
- Navy has won the first half in six of its last seven games against the America East Conference.
Why the Maine Black Bears will win
- Maine has won five of its last six day games against non-Conference opponents.
- Navy has lost four of its last five games against non-Conference opponents.
- Maine has won the first half in five of its last six day games against non-Conference opponents.
Matchup/League Facts
- Navy ranks 42nd among Division 1 teams for turnover percentage this season (12.5%).
- Navy ranks T49th among Division 1 teams for turnovers per game this season (10.3).
- Maine ranks 9th among Division 1 teams for free throw percentage this season (81.0%).
- Maine ranks T14th among Division 1 teams for opponent blocks per game this season (1.8).
Maine vs Navy Prediction
I’ll lean toward Maine, but I’m probably not touching this one. The Black Bears had a couple of good games going this past week but didn’t really look great against Penn on Saturday. Maine shot a nice 47.4 percent from the field in that one but got drilled on the boards 39-21 (13-4 offensive). It was the fifth time in the last six games that the Bears have finished below 70 points.
As for Navy, they fell back into the loss column on Saturday after a couple of consecutive victories earlier in the week. The Midshipmen have scored fewer than 67 points in four of their five losses so far, and they’ve given up 69 or more points in seven of eight games total. Maine should have some offensive opportunities here; whether or not they can take advantage is another matter.
