UMass Minutemen vs La Salle Explorers Prediction, 2/9/2025 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: UMass Minutemen vs La Salle Explorers

Date: Sunday, February 9, 2025

Location: John Glaser Arena in Philadelphia, PA

TV: ESPN+

John Glaser Arena is the location where the La Salle Explorers (12-11) will attempt to beat the UMass Minutemen (10-13) on Sunday.

The UMass Minutemen faced Saint Louis and took a loss by a final of 73-71 in their last contest. UMass finished the contest having earned a 37.0% field goal percentage (27 out of 73) and converted 6 out of their 24 shots from beyond the perimeter. From the charity stripe, the Minutemen made 11 of their 18 tries for a percentage of 61.1%. In relation to pulling down rebounds, they earned a total of 37 with 18 of them being on the offensive end. They also dished out 12 dimes for the matchup as well as forcing the opposition into 15 turnovers and having 6 steals. In reference to defending, UMass allowed the other team to shoot 49.1% from the field on 28 out of 57 shooting. Saint Louis earned 16 assists and had 6 steals in this contest. On top of that, Saint Louis had 33 rebounds (9 offensive, 24 defensive), but wasn't able to record a rejection. Saint Louis walked away from this one shooting 63.6% from the free throw line by making 7 of 11 tries. They also made 10 of their 29 attempts from distance. In regard to personal fouls, the Minutemen ended up finishing with 10 and Saint Louis recorded 16 personal fouls.

Jaylen Curry is someone who was a factor for the game. He finished 40.0% from the floor and also dished out 1 assist. He was on the hardwood for 31 minutes and collected 3 rebounds. He accounted for 16 points on 6 out of 15 shooting.

Get all of our NCAA Betting Picks

UMass will enter this matchup with a record of 10-13 on the campaign. They currently have an average of 75.7 pts per game (142nd in Division 1) while shooting 42.0% from the field. The Minutemen are connecting on 28.2% on three-point shots (131 of 465) and 65.9% from the charity stripe. As a unit, UMass is pulling in 40.3 boards per game and has 303 assists on the season, which is 227th in the nation in terms of passing the rock. They are losing possession via turnover 12.3 times per game and as a squad they commit 19.0 fouls on a nightly basis.

When they are on defense, the Minutemen are forcing 13.3 turnovers per contest and they draw 20.3 fouls. They give up 31.5% on 3-pointers and they rank 280th in college in PPG from their opponents (75.1). The Minutemen defense is giving up a shooting percentage of 41.6% (583 of 1,401) and they concede 37.9 boards per contest as a squad. They currently rank 284th in college in giving up assists to the opposition with 333 relinquished so far this year.

In their last game, the La Salle Explorers took a loss by a score of 96-66 against VCU. The Explorers earned 15 defensive rebounds and 7 offensive boards totaling 22 for this game. They turned the ball over 6 times, while getting 5 steals in the game. VCU had 17 fouls in this matchup which got the Explorers to the charity stripe for a total of 20 shots. They were able to bury 17 of the free throws for a clip of 85.0%. When discussing shots from beyond the arc, La Salle made 5 out of 15 tries (33.3%). Overall, the Explorers went 22 for 57 from the floor which had them shooting 38.6%. The Explorers permitted VCU to convert 37 out of their 71 tries from the floor which gave them a rate of 52.1% in the matchup. They shot 44.1% from downtown by going 15 out of 34 and finished the game at 7 out of 8 from the charity stripe (87.5%). With respect to cleaning the glass, La Salle permitted VCU to pull down 42 overall (17 on the offensive side).

Tunde Vahlberg Fasasi ended up being a major contributor for the Explorers for this game. He tallied 11 points in his 21 mins on the court and accounted for 2 dimes for the game. He buried 4 out of 5 for the contest giving him a field goal percentage of 80.0%, and totaled 3 rebounds.

La Salle has a mark of 12-11 for the season. As an offense, the Explorers are shooting 42.1% from the floor, which ranks 317th in college. La Salle has 1,716 pts this year (74.6 per contest) and they snag 37.9 rebounds per contest. They are dishing out assists 12.3 times per game (290th in college) and they are turning it over 10.7 times per game. The Explorers are responsible for committing 15.5 personal fouls per game and they hit 71.6% from the charity stripe.

The La Salle defense concedes 32.2% on shots from behind the 3-point line (187 of 580) and their opposition makes 69.7% of their shots from the charity stripe. They relinquish 15.3 dimes and 37.0 rebounds on a nightly basis, which is 328th and 311th in college. The Explorers on defense are ranked 288th in Division 1 in PPG allowed with 75.5. They are able to force 12.2 TO's per game and allow teams to shoot 45.2% from the floor (279th in college hoops).

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

Josh Schonwald's Pick: Take UMass

Get $60 worth of FREE premium member picks. No Obligation. No Salesman. No Credit Card. Fast Sign up with Instant Access Click Here