UMBC Retrievers vs Vermont Catamounts Prediction, 1/11/2024 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: UMBC Retrievers vs Vermont Catamounts

Date: Thursday, January 11, 2024

Location: Patrick Gymnasium in Burlington, VT

TV: ESPN+

The Vermont Catamounts (11-5) will try to defeat the UMBC Retrievers (5-11) at Patrick Gymnasium on Thursday.

The UMBC Retrievers stepped onto the hardwood against Bryant and took a loss by a score of 81-67 in their last contest. UMBC wrapped up the contest with a 37.7% field goal percentage (26 out of 69) and converted 8 of 21 shots from 3-point land. From the free throw line, the Retrievers made 7 of their 12 shots for a rate of 58.3%. In terms of grabbing boards, they collected 38 with 9 of them being on the offensive end. They also recorded 8 dimes for this game in addition to forcing the other team into 11 turnovers and earning 5 steals. In reference to defense, UMBC allowed the other team to go 44.8% from the field on 30 of 67 shooting. Bryant distributed 14 assists and had 12 steals in this game. Furthermore, Bryant grabbed 40 rebounds (10 offensive, 30 defensive), but didn't notch a block. Bryant walked away from this one shooting 78.6% from the charity stripe by burying 11 of 14 attempts. They made 10 of their 28 tries from 3-point land. Concerning personal fouls, the Retrievers walked away with 11 while Bryant accounted for 14 personal fouls.

Dion Brown is a player who was a factor for the matchup. He finished with 22 points on 10 out of 25 shooting. He was on the court for 38 mins and pulled down 11 rebounds. He finished 40.0% from the floor but didn't record an assist.

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UMBC comes into this contest with a record of 5-11 on the campaign. They lose possession by turning the ball over 14.5 times per contest and as a unit are committing 16.5 personal fouls on a nightly basis. As a team, UMBC is grabbing 37.0 rebounds per game and is sitting with 204 assists for the year, which is 197th in D-1 in terms of passing the ball. The Retrievers are shooting 36.9% on shots from distance (133 of 360) and 67.3% from the free throw line. They currently have an average of 78.3 points per contest (97th in college basketball) while connecting on 45.8% from the field.

On defense, the Retrievers are able to force 11.8 turnovers per game and they draw 16.2 fouls. They are giving up 32.8% on shots from beyond the perimeter and they are ranked 358th in D-1 in opponents points per game (83.8). The Retrievers defense is allowing and opponent field goal percentage of 46.3% (491 of 1,061) and they concede 39.3 rebounds per game as a group. They are ranked 277th in the nation in allowing assists to their opponents with 215 conceded so far this year.

When they last played, the Vermont Catamounts got the victory with a final of 65-58 against Maine. When it comes to team rebounding, Vermont permitted Maine to grab 32 in total (2 on the offensive side). They finished 40.0% from distance via 6 out of 15 and ended up shooting 4 out of 5 from the free throw line (80.0%). The Catamounts permitted Maine to convert 24 of their 57 tries from the field which gave them a rate of 42.1% for the contest. When all was said and done, the Catamounts shot 25 for 57 from the floor which had them shooting 43.9%. In reference to 3-point attempts, Vermont converted 3 out of 17 attempts (17.6%). They were able to knock down 12 of the free throw attempts for a percentage of 63.2%. Maine committed 19 fouls for the contest which got the Catamounts to the free throw line for 19 shots. They also coughed up the ball 6 times, while earning 9 steals in this matchup. The Catamounts collected 28 defensive rebounds and 5 offensive rebounds for a total of 33 for the contest.

Ileri Ayo-Faleye was important for the Catamounts in this matchup. He knocked down 5 of 11 for the game giving him a field goal percentage of 45.5%, and had 6 rebounds. He recorded 14 points in his 24 mins on the hardwood and earned 2 assists for this contest.

Vermont has a win-loss record of 11-5 on the season. In terms of offensive execution, the Catamounts are hitting on 47.5% from the field, which is 57th in the nation. Vermont has scored 1,163 pts this season (72.7 per game) and they grab 33.6 rebounds per contest. They are dishing out assists 13.4 times per game (193rd in the nation) and they are giving up possession 9.3 times per contest. The Catamounts are responsible for committing 14.0 personal fouls every game and they go 68.1% from the charity stripe.

The Catamounts on the defensive side of the court are 41st in college hoops in points given up per game with 64.5. They are forcing 9.3 TO's per game and have let teams shoot 41.6% from the field (111th in D-1). The Vermont defense concedes 34.1% from downtown (107 of 314) and their opponents are connecting on 71.0% of their free throw shots. They concede 9.8 dimes and 33.1 boards per contest, ranking them 14th and 82nd in those categories on the defensive end.

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

Tony Sink's Pick: Take UMBC

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