The NJIT Highlanders and Vermont Catamounts meet Saturday in the college basketball America East Tournament at the Patrick Gymnasium. Let’s preview this game and give out a pick and prediction.
The NJIT Highlanders are averaging 67.3 points on 43.1 percent shooting and allowing 72.3 points on 45 percent shooting. Miles Coleman is averaging 14.5 points and 4.1 rebounds, while Kevin Osawe is averaging 11.2 points and 0.8 assists. Adam Hess is the double-digit scorer and Raheim Sullivan is grabbing 3.2 rebounds. The NJIT Highlanders are shooting 34.7 percent from beyond the arc and 66 percent from the free throw line. The NJIT Highlanders are allowing 33.1 percent shooting from deep and are grabbing 31.6 rebounds per game.
The Vermont Catamounts are averaging 72.5 points on 47.1 percent shooting and allowing 67.5 points on 45 percent shooting. Dylan Penn is averaging 12.5 points and 3 rebounds, while Finn Sullivan is averaging 12.4 points and 2.3 assists. Aaron Deloney is the third double-digit scorer and Robin Duncan is grabbing 7.2 rebounds. The Vermont Catamounts are shooting 35.9 percent from beyond the arc and 69.4 percent from the free throw line. The Vermont Catamounts are allowing 35.4 percent shooting from deep and are grabbing 28.9 rebounds per game.
The Highlanders are 5-2 ATS in their last 7 games overall. The Catamounts are 10-3-1 ATS in their last 14 home games and 8-3-1 ATS in their last 12 games overall. The over is 4-1 in Highlanders last 5 overall. The over is 6-2 in Catamounts last 8 overall. The favorite is 4-1 ATS in the last 5 meetings.
The Vermont Catamounts are 5-2-1 ATS as a double-digit favorite and 6-3 ATS at home this season. We’ve seen Vermont in tournament games in the past and how nasty that crowd can get. The NJIT Highlanders have been a below average team all year and loses by an average of 10.6 points on the road. I’ll lay the chalk.