The Maine Black Bears (6-22, 3-10 AmEast) will travel to Tsongas Center to meet the Massachusetts-Lowell River Hawks (10-16, 4-9 AmEast) in their home finale.
Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. ET on Wednesday, February 21, 2018, and it can be seen on ESPN 3.Maine Black Bears vs. Massachusetts-Lowell River Hawks ATS Preview
The Black Bears fell to the Hartford Hawks in their last outing, 67-63. With 24 points on 8-for-12 shooting, Aaron Calixte was the game’s high scorer. Hartford did a fantastic job of making free throws (18-25; 72.0 percent). Maine, on the other hand, had an offensive rebounding percentage of 35.7 (above their season average of 25.0).
In the River Hawks’ last matchup, they defeated the Binghamton Bearcats, 74-69. Massachusetts-Lowell received a boost from Jahad Thomas, who was the top scorer from either team with 22 points on 7-for-12 shooting. The River Hawks made 24 of their 33 free throws (72.7 percent), while the Bearcats had a turnover percentage of 20.3 (above their season average of 15.9).
The physical Massachusetts-Lowell offense could be getting to the charity stripe a lot in this showdown. The River Hawks currently rank 46th in the nation with a free throw attempt (FTA) rate of 0.283, while Maine ranks 214th in FTA rate allowed (0.244).
These teams have already met once this season. The River Hawks won 88-64. The River Hawks played a nearly flawless game. They had a ridiculous effective field goal percentage of 0.607 and an absurd offensive rebounding percentage of 40.0. The Black Bears were 0.391 and 35.7, respectively, for those same stats. Thomas recorded a double-double with 19 points and 13 rebounds.
Maine Black Bears vs. Massachusetts-Lowell River Hawks Betting Prediction
Free Pick: SU Winner – Maine, ATS Winner – Maine, O/U – Over
Betting Notes:
- The River Hawks rank 117th in assists per game (14.2) while the Black Bears rank 242nd (11.6).
- Massachusetts-Lowell ranks 29th in three pointers allowed per game (18.9) while Maine ranks 248th (24.4).
- The River Hawks rank 59th in steals per game (7.2) while the Black Bears rank 203rd in steals allowed per game (7.4).
- Maine ranks 130th in rebounds per game (35.8) while Massachusetts-Lowell ranks 264th (31.8).
Bettings Trends:
- The River Hawks’ average margin of defeat in their last five games has been 1.2, down from 3.0 for the season.
- During their last five games, the Black Bears have scored an average of 65.0 points per game (1.5 below their season average) and allowed an average of 73.8 points per game (0.6 below their season average).
