NJIT Highlanders vs UMass Minutemen Prediction, 12/1/2024 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: NJIT Highlanders vs UMass Minutemen

Date: Sunday, December 1, 2024

Location: Mullins Center in Amherst, MA

TV: ESPN+

The UMass Minutemen (2-5) host the NJIT Highlanders (1-7) at Mullins Center on Sunday.

The NJIT Highlanders faced Morehead State and went home with a win by a final score of 78-69 in their last contest. NJIT ended with a 46.2% FG percentage (24 of 52) and converted 10 out of their 23 three-point attempts. From the charity stripe, the Highlanders buried 20 of their 23 attempts for a percentage of 87.0%. With respect to grabbing rebounds, they earned a total of 31 with 11 of them being on the offensive end. They also distributed 11 dimes in the matchup while forcing the other team into 8 turnovers and having 4 steals. In the matter of defending, NJIT allowed their opponent to shoot 43.1% from the field on 25 out of 58 shooting. Morehead State recorded 12 dimes and had 7 steals in this contest. In addition, Morehead State grabbed 26 boards (12 offensive, 14 defensive), but wasn't able to put a block in the stat sheet. Morehead State finished the game at 47.8% at the free throw line by knocking down 11 of their 23 attempts. They knocked down 8 of their 21 shots from beyond the arc. When discussing fouls, the Highlanders ended up walking away with 19 while Morehead State accumulated 21 fouls.

Tariq Francis is one guy who was a major contributor in this contest. He recorded 23 points on 6 of 14 shooting. He was on the court for 35 mins and also totaled 5 rebounds. He finished the game shooting 42.9% from the floor and also earned 3 assists.

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NJIT enters this game with a mark of 1-7 so far this year. They are averaging 61.1 pts per contest (353rd in college basketball) while hitting 39.4% from the field. The Highlanders are connecting on 32.6% on three-point attempts (58 of 178) and 79.8% from the charity stripe. As a unit, NJIT is pulling down 31.8 boards per contest and has accounted for 85 assists this year, which is 264th in the nation in terms of passing the rock. They are giving up possession 14.0 times per game and as a unit they commit 19.6 fouls per contest.

On defense, the Highlanders have forced 9.4 turnovers every game and they draw 15.6 personal fouls. They are ranked 235th in the country in allowing assists with 95 conceded so far this season. The Highlanders defensively are allowing an opponent shooting percentage of 45.2% (202 of 447) and they concede 35.9 boards per game as a unit. They are surrendering 33.3% on 3-point attempts and they are 238th in college hoops in opponents points per game (73.5).

The last time they took the court, the UMass Minutemen got the victory with a final of 62-54 against Harvard. The Minutemen recorded 29 defensive boards and 18 offensive boards for a total of 47 for the contest. They also turned it over 13 times, while getting 6 steals for the matchup. Harvard was called for 15 fouls for the matchup which got the Minutemen to the free throw line for a total of 11 shots. They were able to make 7 of the free throws for a percentage of 63.6%. Concerning 3-pointers, UMass converted 1 of 16 tries (6.3%). At the conclusion of this game, the Minutemen shot 27 out of 67 from the floor which gave them a percentage of 40.3%. The Minutemen permitted Harvard to make 23 of their 61 tries from the field which had them sitting at 37.7% for the contest. They finished the game shooting 30.0% from three-point range by going 6 of 20 and finished the game at 2 of 3 at the charity stripe (66.7%). With respect to how they cleaned up the glass, UMass permitted Harvard to get 25 in total (7 offensive).

Daniel Hankins-Sanford ended up having an impact for the Minutemen in the matchup. He tallied 14 points in his 34 minutes on the court, but wasn't able to notch an assist. He made 6 of 11 for the game for a field goal percentage of 54.5%, and added 10 rebounds.

UMass has a win-loss mark of 2-5 on the year. In terms of offensive execution, the Minutemen are shooting 40.7% from the field, which ranks them 323rd in the nation. UMass has totaled 510 pts for the campaign (72.9 per contest) and they grab 40.3 rebounds per game. They are earning an assist 13.4 times per contest (227th in college hoops) and they cough up possession 12.0 times per game. The Minutemen are responsible for committing 18.0 personal fouls per game while shooting 64.3% from the charity stripe.

The UMass defense concedes 35.6% on 3-pointers (58 of 163) and their opposition knocks down 70.1% of their shots from the free throw line. They have relinquished 14.9 assists and 38.0 boards per game, which has them ranked 301st and 297th in college hoops. The Minutemen on the defensive side of the court are 282nd in college basketball in points per game surrendered with 76.1. They are able to force 12.7 TO's every game and allow teams to shoot 43.6% from the field (229th in the nation).

Who will win tonight's NCAA basketball game against the spread?

Josh Schonwald's Pick: Take NJIT

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