The Rider Broncs and the Manhattan Jaspers meet Tuesday in MAAC Tournament college basketball action from Jim Whelan Boardwalk Hall. Rider is 12-18 this year and coming off a win over Monmouth. As for Manhattan, they’re 15-14 so far. The Jaspers beat Iona in their last game. Check back all season long for free college basketball picks at Sports Chat Place.
Rider got off to a rough 12-18 start this year before hitting a 5-1 stretch in January/February. The Broncs have gone just 2-5 since then, losing to Siena, Monmouth, Manhattan, Iona and Fairfield with wins otherwise over Niagara and Monmouth.
In the Monmouth rematch back on Saturday, the Broncs were up 43-30 by halftime. Rider had to hang on after a 31-35 second half but took the win 74-65. Tops in scoring was Mervin James with 23 points and seven rebounds.
Over on the Jaspers’ side, they hit a 10-5 run out of the gate this year, then similarly struggled in a 1-6 January/February run. The Jaspers are 4-3 in their last seven games, taking wins over Quinnipiac, Fairfield, Rider and Iona in that time.
On Thursday versus Iona, Manhattan hit a 40-31 first-half run. The Jaspers were outscored 34-41 the rest of the way but still eked out the 74-72 victory. Jose Perez was the team’s top scorer with 27 points and six assists.
The Jaspers are 7-2-1 ATS in their last 10 neutral-site games and 1-5 ATS in their last six Tuesday games. The over is 17-7-1 ATS in Manhattan’s last 25 overall.
Meanwhile, the Broncs are 7-19 ATS in their last 26 Tuesday games and 8-3 ATS in their last 11 overall. The under is 5-2 in Rider’s last seven Tuesday games.
PICK: I’m going to take a stab on Manhattan. Probably not touching this one, though; it’s looking like a coin flip. The Jaspers managed an 84-78 overtime win the last time these teams met up, but Rider bagged a home win in the first meeting. That one was a 76-67 affair back on February 8. Manhattan has been at 62 points or fewer in three of their last four games, so they’re definitely going to need a good first half here. The Jaspers seem a little better cover/win-wise, but I could really go either way. It’ll be a good game.