UMass-Lowell vs NJIT 1/6/22 College Basketball Picks, Predictions, Odds
NJIT Highlanders (6-5) vs. UMass-Lowell River Hawks (8-5)
January 6, 2022 6:00 pm EDT
The Line: UMass-Lowell River Hawks -6 ; Over/Under: 132.5
(Get latest betting odds)
The NJIT Highlanders and the UMass Lowell River Hawks meet Thursday in college basketball action from Costello Athletic Center. NJIT sits at 6-5 so far. The Highlanders beat Maine in their last game. As for UMass Lowell, they’re currently 8-5 and fresh off a loss to Binghamton. Check back all season long for free college basketball picks at Sports Chat Place.
NJIT managed a 5-3 run over their first eight games, taking losses to Rutgers, St. John’s and Merrimack along the way. After two more losses to Army and Northwestern, the Highlanders beat Maine in their last outing.
In the Maine game, the Highlanders were outscored 33-29 in the first half but bounced back with 40 points from there in a 69-66 win. Miles Coleman led the team on 23 points and 10 rebounds, while Matt Faw added 11 points and eight boards.
Over on the UMass Lowell side, their first 10 games featured a 6-4 run. The River Hawks lost to Oklahoma State, UMass, Brown and Boston U in that stretch. Wins over Mass College of Liberal Arts and Sacred Heart came next before a loss to Binghamton.
In the Binghamton game, the River Hawks posted just 28 points in the first half during an eventual 68-63 loss. Kalil Thomas led the way on 21 points and six rebounds. Ayinde Hikim added 13 points in 17 minutes of work.
The River Hawks are 6-1 ATS in the last seven after a straight-up loss and 6-1 ATS in their last seven after an ATS loss. The under is 4-0 in UMass Lowell’s last four overall.
Meanwhile, the Highlanders are 5-0 ATS in their last five road games and 7-2 ATS in their last nine overall. NJIT is 1-6 ATS in their last seven Thursday games.
PICK: I’m going to take a stab on UMass Lowell, but probably staying away. Neither of these teams has played their best basketball over the last few games. The River Hawks are coming off a flat outing versus Binghamton, and they’ve been at 63 or fewer points in four of their last seven games. As for NJIT, they did pretty well against Maine in their last game but had previously hit just 101 combined points in a two-game span. This one could go a lot of different ways so I’m not going near it. Should be a competitive matchup, though.
