Albany Great Danes vs UMass Lowell River Hawks Prediction, 1/3/2026 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Albany Great Danes vs UMass Lowell River Hawks

Date: Saturday, January 3, 2026

Location: Kennedy Family Athletic Complex in Lowell, MA

TV: ESPN+

The UMass Lowell River Hawks (5-10) host the Albany Great Danes (4-11) at Kennedy Family Athletic Complex on Saturday.

The Albany Great Danes faced off with South Carolina and took a loss by a final of 96-67 in their last game. Albany ended the contest having earned a 43.5% field goal percentage (27 of 62) and made 6 out of their 17 shots from beyond the arc. At the free throw line, the Great Danes buried 7 of 8 attempts for a percentage of 87.5%. With respect to grabbing rebounds, they earned a total of 25 with 13 of them being of the offensive sort. They also doled out 15 assists in the matchup in addition to forcing the other team into 9 turnovers and having 6 steals. In terms of defense, Albany allowed the other team to go 60.0% from the field on 33 of 55 shooting. South Carolina recorded 19 assists and had 8 steals in this matchup. Additionally, South Carolina collected 26 rebounds (8 offensive, 18 defensive), but wasn't able to record a rejection. South Carolina walked away from this one shooting 94.1% from the free throw line by burying 16 of their 17 tries. They converted 14 of their 30 attempts from 3-point land. Regarding personal fouls, the Great Danes ended up finishing with 13 while South Carolina finished the game with 8 personal fouls.

Amir Lindsey is a guy who was a factor in this game. He finished with 18 points on 7 out of 17 shooting. He played 36 mins and snagged 1 rebound. He walked away from this one shooting 41.2% from the floor and also earned 4 dimes.

Get all of our NCAA Betting Picks

Albany will enter this game with a mark of 4-11 this year. They have an average of 74.9 points per outing (242nd in Division 1) while shooting 46.8% from the field. The Great Danes are hitting 32.9% from downtown (114 of 347) and 62.5% from the charity stripe. As a unit, Albany is grabbing 35.1 rebounds per game and has accumulated 233 assists on the season, which is 62nd in the nation in terms of passing the ball. They turn it over 12.9 times per game and as a unit they commit 18.0 fouls on a nightly basis.

On the defensive end of the court, the Great Danes are forcing their opponents into 11.5 turnovers every game and they draw 13.9 personal fouls. They are surrendering 34.9% on shots from beyond the arc and they rank 289th in D-1 in PPG allowed (77.9). The Great Danes defense is allowing an opponent FG percentage of 45.8% (412 of 899) and they relinquish 34.7 boards per contest as a team. They are 336th in college hoops in giving up assists to their opponents with 231 surrendered on the campaign.

For their last game, the UMass Lowell River Hawks took a loss by a final score of 90-62 against Iowa. The River Hawks were able to corral 16 defensive boards and 8 offensive boards for a total of 24 for this contest. They coughed up the ball 15 times, while getting 5 steals in the game. Iowa committed 16 personal fouls for this game which took the River Hawks to the charity stripe for a total of 18 attempts. They were able to convert 9 of the free throw tries for a rate of 50.0%. Pertaining to shooting from distance, UMass Lowell knocked down 5 of 13 tries (38.5%). When the final whistle was blown, the River Hawks ended up going 24 out of 50 from the field which had them shooting 48.0%. The River Hawks allowed Iowa to bury 32 out of 55 tries from the field which had them at 58.2% for the contest. They finished 28.6% from distance by connecting on 4 of 14 and finished the contest at 22 out of 24 from the free throw line (91.7%). In relation to cleaning up the glass, UMass Lowell permitted Iowa to pull down 26 in total (6 on the offensive glass).

Angel Montas ended up having an impact for the River Hawks in this matchup. He buried 10 of 12 in this game giving him a rate of 83.3%, and totaled 6 rebounds. He had 23 points in his 35 minutes of playing time and had 3 dimes in the game.

UMass Lowell has a mark of 5-10 on the season. The River Hawks are responsible for committing 15.5 fouls per contest and they shoot 64.8% from the free throw line. Their rate of dishing out assists is at 13.8 times per contest (224th in the nation) and they lose possession by turning the ball over 14.1 times per game. UMass Lowell has accounted for 1,154 points for the season (76.9 per contest) and they average 36.4 boards per game. As an offense, the River Hawks are hitting on 47.5% from the floor, which is 89th in the nation.

The UMass Lowell defense allows 35.3% on shots from beyond the perimeter (130 of 368) and their opposition knocks down 74.4% of their free throw shots. They concede 15.1 assists and 33.7 rebounds per contest, which is 286th and 140th in college hoops. The River Hawks defensively are ranked 325th in D-1 in points per game surrendered with 80.5. They are forcing their opponents into 11.3 TO's per game and allow teams to shoot 46.3% from the floor (307th in college hoops).

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

Tony Sink's Pick: Take Albany

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

Get college basketball picks on every single game, or if you want our very best bets by the experts, sign up for your free $60 account with a guarantee.