Maine Black Bears vs UMBC Retrievers Prediction, 1/8/2026 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Maine Black Bears vs UMBC Retrievers

Date: Thursday, January 8, 2026

Location: Chesapeake Employers Insurance Arena in Baltimore, MD

TV: ESPN+

The UMBC Retrievers (7-6) are welcoming the Maine Black Bears (2-14) at Chesapeake Employers Insurance Arena on Thursday.

The Maine Black Bears took the court against Bryant and ended up losing by a score of 56-51 in their last game. Regarding personal fouls, the Black Bears ended up finishing with 15 while Bryant had 21 personal fouls. They knocked down 4 of 23 tries from beyond the perimeter. Bryant finished the game shooting 66.7% at the free throw line by converting 12 of 18 tries. On top of that, Bryant totaled 39 rebounds (12 offensive, 27 defensive), but finished the game with no rejections. Bryant doled out 7 dimes and had 7 steals for this game. When discussing defending, Maine allowed 33.3% from the field on 20 out of 60 shooting. They also dished out 12 assists in the matchup as well as forcing the opposition into 15 turnovers and earning 10 steals. Concerning rebounding, they collected 35 with 13 of them being on the offensive end. From the free throw line, the Black Bears made 13 of their 24 shots for a percentage of 54.2%. Maine finished with a 31.6% field goal percentage (18 of 57) and converted 2 out of their 18 shots from distance.

TJ Biel is one guy who had an impact for the contest. He accounted for 20 points on 7 out of 15 shooting. He played for 37 mins and also snagged 7 rebounds. He ended up shooting 46.7% from the field and also dished out 3 dimes.

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Maine enters this contest with a mark of 2-14 so far this year. They average 60.8 points per contest (363rd in Division 1) while hitting 43.9% from the field. The Black Bears are shooting 31.1% on three-point shots (91 of 293) and 60.7% from the free throw line. As a team, Maine is pulling in 29.6 boards per contest and is sitting with 185 assists for the year, which ranks 308th in D-1 in terms of passing the ball. They turn the ball over 14.9 times per contest and as a team are committing 17.3 fouls on a nightly basis.

On the defensive end of the court, the Black Bears are able to force 13.9 turnovers per contest and they draw 16.6 fouls. They surrender 30.8% on three-point shots while they are 90th in college hoops in points per game allowed (69.4). The Black Bears defense is allowing an opponent shooting percentage of 43.9% (398 of 906) and they concede 37.4 boards per contest as a group. They currently rank 247th in college hoops in giving up assists to the opposition with 215 surrendered for the season.

The last time they took the hardwood, the UMBC Retrievers took home the win by a final score of 93-59 when they played Coppin State. Regarding how they cleaned up the glass, UMBC allowed Coppin State to snag 25 in all (6 on the offensive side). They finished the game shooting 31.8% from downtown by shooting 7 of 22 and walked away from this one shooting 10 out of 15 from the free throw line (66.7%). The Retrievers allowed Coppin State to make 21 of 57 attempts from the field which had them shooting 36.8% for this contest. When all was said and done, the Retrievers ended up going 33 out of 63 from the floor which gave them a rate of 52.4%. In the matter of shooting from beyond the arc, UMBC converted 14 out of 29 attempts (48.3%). They were able to knock down 13 of the free throws for a percentage of 56.5%. Coppin State committed 16 personal fouls in this contest which took the Retrievers to the charity stripe for a total of 23 shots. They also coughed it up 10 times, while getting 6 steals for the game. The Retrievers were able to pull down 30 defensive boards and 11 offensive boards for a total of 41 for this game.

DJ Armstrong pitched in for the Retrievers in the game. He earned 31 points in his 29 minutes on the court and earned 3 dimes for this game. He knocked down 10 of 16 in the game for a field goal rate of 62.5%, and tallied 2 rebounds.

UMBC has a mark of 7-6 so far this season. The Retrievers are responsible for committing 13.4 fouls every game and they go 68.5% from the free throw line. They are dishing out assists 14.5 times per contest (170th in Division 1) and they are turning it over 12.6 times per contest. UMBC has totaled 977 pts for the season (75.2 per game) and they snag 36.3 boards per contest. As an offense, the Retrievers are hitting on 47.0% from the floor, which ranks 106th in the nation.

The Retrievers on the defensive end are ranked 140th in the nation in points allowed per contest with 71.7. They are forcing 10.3 TO's per game and have allowed teams to shoot 43.6% from the floor (192nd in college). The UMBC defense allows 33.1% on shots from behind the 3-point line (85 of 257) and their opposition makes 73.7% of their free throw shots. They have conceded 11.8 assists and 33.9 total boards per game, which ranks 63rd and 148th in college hoops.

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

Tony Sink's Pick: Take Maine

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