The UMass Lowell River Hawks and LIU Sharks face off on Monday in a college basketball showdown at the Steinberg Wellness Center. When these two teams faced off in 2019 it was UMass that secured the 87-74 victory.
The UMass Lowell River Hawks come into this game with an 8-1 record and they have gone 5-1-1 against the spread. In the last game against Sacred Heart the defense gave up only 59 points and that led to the 11 point victory. Cam Morris II had a big game finishing with 18 points, 11 rebounds, and two assists. UMass Lowell is averaging 83.3 points while their defense is giving up 60.3 points per game. Abdoul Karim Coulibaly is averaging 15.4 points while shooting 67.1 percent from the field. There are three different players that are averaging at least 10 points per game.
On the other side of this matchup is the LIU Sharks who sit with a 1-6 record and they have gone 3-2 against the spread. In the last game against Towson, LIU was defeated 74-64. Quion Burns had a big game finishing with 18 points. LIU is averaging 66.9 points while their defense is giving up 79.6 points per game. The offense is ranked 300th while the defense is ranked 348th. Guard Marko Maletic is having a strong season averaging 15.4 points while 42.1 percent from the field and 38.7 percent from behind the three point line. There are four different players that are averaging at least 10 points per game.
UMass Lowell is 4-0 against the spread in their last four games. The under is 4-0 in the River Hawks last four games overall. The under is 5-1-1 in the Sharks last seven games overall. The over is 4-0 in Sharks last 4 games following a double-digit loss at home.
These are two teams who have very different starts to their season. This LIU defense is awful and it’s not going to be any different in this game. UMass will get over their season average of 83.3 points and that is going to be the difference here as the River Hawks is going to get the job done. Back UMass Lowell against the spread.