The UMass Lowell River Hawks and the Maine Black Bears meet Wednesday in college basketball action from Cross Insurance Center. UMass Lowell is 17-4 so far this year. The River Hawks beat Bryant in their last game. As for Maine, they’re 7-12 following a win over Binghamton on Sunday. Check back all season long for free college basketball picks at Sports Chat Place.
UMass Lowell River Hawks
UMass Lowell went a nice 12-2 over their first 14 games this year, losing to only Rutgers and Rhode Island in that time. The River Hawks are 5-2 since then with losses to only Albany and Binghamton.
In the Bryant matchup on Sunday, the River Hawks got off to a nice start with a 57-31 first half. UMass Lowell cruised on another 41 points in a 98-79 victory. Karim Coulibaly led the way on a double-double with 18 points and 15 rebounds.
Maine Black Bears
Over on the Maine side, they beat UMFK, Boston College, Columbia, Central CT State, Merrimack and Augusta in their first 14 games. The Bears have since gone 1-4 with a lone win over Binghamton in that stretch.
Matched up against Binghamton on Sunday, the Bears came out of halftime with a 36-25 lead. Maine hit a 42-32 run from there and won the game 78-57. Gedi Juozapaitis topped the team on 21 points and two rebounds.
ANDREW’S FREE PICK
I’m going to stick with UMass Lowell. The River Hawks are having a nice season thus far, even if they’ve gone a sketchy 3-2 over the last five games. UMass Lowell has scored 72 or more points in four of the last six outings and should post a nice total in this one as well. The last time these teams met up, UMass Lowell had a close call in a 72-70 win. The River Hawks faded in that one after a nine-point advantage in the first half. I like UMass Lowell to keep it rolling better in this rematch and pull off the cover.