Julian Edlow provides his preview, prediction, and pick for Thursday’s college basketball game between UMass and Miami (OH).
UMass vs. Miami (OH) College Basketball prediction, preview
Miami completed the perfect regular season on Friday night, with an intense road win against a rival in Ohio. It was one of the best college basketball games of the season, played with both teams hitting 100 points in regulation, before the Redhawks narrowly escaped in overtime.
Escaping has been a theme for Miami this season, which has flirted with defeat on a consistent basis. The Redhawks are seemingly always in overtime, or pulling out a one possession victory on the final play of the game. One of those occasions was against UMass, which lost by just two points as a nine-point underdog at Miami.
Obviously, the Redhawks have more talent than the Minutemen, but they also have a ton of pressure on them to stay perfect. UMass was solid in the underdog role this season, going 4-8 straight up and 8-4 against the spread. What UMass may lack in talent in this matchup, it could have the chance to makeup in hustle. The Minutemen are a good rebounding team, ranking 53rd in the country in rebound rate. That happens to be a weakness for Miami, which ranks just 147th.
Maybe Miami pulls out another close one, as its has done all season, but we’re not asking UMass to pull the upset here. The Minuteman are catching 7.5 points in a game they are simply playing with house money in. Everybody expects Miami to win, and all the pressure is on the Redhawks. This is a great spot to back UMass in a double revenge game after losing both previous matchups this season.
I’ll grab the points with the Minutemen to put a scare into Miami.
CBB Pick: UMASS +7.5 (-110)