The LIU Sharks and the UMass-Lowell River Hawks meet in college basketball action from the Costello Athletic Center on Tuesday night. Can the Sharks pick up the upset for their first road win of the year? Or will UMass Lowell defend home court? Let’s take a look and give out a LIU vs. UMass-Lowell Prediction.

LIU Team Preview

The LIU Sharks come into this game looking to snap a three-game losing skid after a 74-59 loss to FIU last time out. Eric Acker leads the Sharks in scoring with 13.8 PPG along with 3.6 RPG and 2.6 APG while Tai Strickland has 12.6 PPG with 4 RPG as the only other double-digit scorer up to this point in the year for the Sharks. R.J. Greene has 8.5 PPG with a team-high 6.3 RPG to lead the Sharks in rebounding while Terell Strickland has 2.6 APG of his own this season. As a team, LIU is averaging 62.5 PPG on 39.1% shooting from the field, 29.7% from three and 71% from the foul line this season.

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UMass-Lowell Team Preview

The UMass-Lowell River Hawks come into this one looking to rebound from a 91-77 loss at the hands of UMass last time out. Ayinde Hikim leads the River Hawks in scoring and assists with 19 PPG and 5.1 APG while Abdoul Karim Coulibaly has 12.8 PPG with 6.8 RPG. Cam Morris III has 10.1 PPG with 4.8 RPG to cap off the trio of double-digit scorers for UMass-Lowell and Max Brooks has 9.9 PPG with 5.4 RPG. Brayden O’Connor has 9.1 PPG and 4.3 RPG as well up to this point in the year. As a team, UMass-Lowell is averaging 81.2 PPG on 49.3% shooting from the field, 31.3% from behind the arc and 76.8% from the foul line this season. UMass Lowell is 6-3 in the American East, the same number of wins as Bryant, UAlbany, and Binghamton. 

LIU vs. UMass-Lowell Prediction

I’m backing UMass-Lowell here, as LIU has just been brutal this year. The Sharks are not good offensively, ranking bottom-10 nationally in adjusted offensive efficiency, and while Lowell hasn’t been a world-beater, they’re the better team here by a fair margin and are heavily reliant on the 2-point bucket, something LIU struggles to defend at a high clip. I think the River Hawks pull away progressively throughout the game and win this one by 20-25+. Give me UMass-Lowell here.