NJIT Highlanders vs UMBC Retrievers Prediction, 1/22/2026 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: NJIT Highlanders vs UMBC Retrievers

Date: Thursday, January 22, 2026

Location: Chesapeake Employers Insurance Arena in Baltimore, MD

TV: ESPN+

The NJIT Highlanders (8-11) are headed to Chesapeake Employers Insurance Arena on Thursday where they will play the UMBC Retrievers (9-7).

The NJIT Highlanders faced off with Bryant and walked away with a win by a score of 79-55 in their last contest. NJIT wrapped up the game having earned a 46.2% FG percentage (24 of 52) and converted 11 of their 27 3-point attempts. At the free throw line, the Highlanders knocked down 20 of their 22 attempts for a percentage of 90.9%. Pertaining to hauling in rebounds, they collected a total of 29 with 7 of them being offensive. They also doled out 12 assists for this contest in addition to creating 11 turnovers and getting 8 steals. With respect to the defense, NJIT allowed 31.3% from the floor on 15 of 48 shooting. Bryant earned 12 dimes and had 3 steals in this contest. Additionally, Bryant snagged 26 boards (7 offensive, 19 defensive), but didn't notch a block. Bryant shot 79.2% from the free throw line by making 19 of their 24 shots. They also buried 6 out of their 25 tries from 3-point range. When talking about personal fouls, the Highlanders ended up finishing with 18 while Bryant accumulated 16 personal fouls.

Sebastian Robinson is a player who played a role for the matchup. He accounted for 22 points on 8 of 15 shooting. He was on the court for 34 mins and grabbed 7 rebounds. He ended up shooting 53.3% from the floor and also recorded 4 assists.

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NJIT heads into this game with a record of 8-11 this season. They currently have an average of 66.4 points per game (344th in the nation) while hitting 38.4% from the floor. The Highlanders are hitting 30.6% on shots from distance (147 of 481) and 72.2% from the charity stripe. As a team, NJIT is collecting 34.5 boards per contest and has accounted for 205 dimes so far this season, which ranks 346th in college in terms of passing the rock. They lose possession via turnover 12.9 times per contest and as a group are committing 18.7 fouls on a nightly basis.

When they are on defense, the Highlanders have forced 11.6 turnovers per game and they draw 16.8 personal fouls. They currently rank 274th in college in giving up assists to the opposition with 273 conceded for the campaign. The Highlanders defensively are giving up a field goal percentage of 44.0% (500 of 1,137) and they concede 39.7 boards per game as a unit. They give up 34.3% on 3-point shots and they are ranked 255th in college hoops in points per game allowed (76.3).

In their last game, the UMBC Retrievers went home victorious with a score of 78-60 when they faced Binghamton. The Retrievers collected 27 defensive boards and 3 offensive rebounds for a total of 30 for this contest. They also gave up possession of the ball 5 times, while recording 6 steals in the game. Binghamton had 11 personal fouls in this contest which took the Retrievers to the free throw line for a total of 12 shots. They were able to knock down 9 of those for a clip of 75.0%. When discussing 3-pointers, UMBC buried 7 out of 16 tries (43.8%). In all, the Retrievers ended up going 31 out of 57 from the floor which had them at 54.4%. The Retrievers permitted Binghamton to bury 24 of 55 attempts from the field which gave them a rate of 43.6% for the matchup. They finished the game shooting 33.3% from behind the 3-point line by shooting 5 out of 15 and ended up going 7 of 15 at the charity stripe (46.7%). Concerning attacking the glass, UMBC allowed Binghamton to get 30 overall (7 offensive).

Jah'Likai King was important for the Retrievers in the matchup. He earned 21 points in his 33 minutes on the court, but finished this game without an assist. He made 8 out of 15 for the game for a rate of 53.3%, and accumulated 4 rebounds.

UMBC has a mark of 9-7 this season. The Retrievers are committing 13.0 fouls per game and they hit 70.9% from the charity stripe. They are assisting teammates 13.9 times per contest (215th in the nation) and they are losing possession via turnover 11.7 times per contest. UMBC has earned 1,195 points for the year (74.7 per contest) and they collect 34.9 boards per game. As an offense, the Retrievers are connecting on 46.7% from the floor, which ranks 116th in the country.

The Retrievers on the defensive end are ranked 125th in D-1 in PPG allowed with 71.7. They are able to force 10.5 turnovers per game and have let teams shoot 44.7% from the field (242nd in college hoops). The UMBC defense concedes 33.0% on shots from distance (105 of 318) and their opponents are connecting on 71.1% of their free throw shots. They have relinquished 11.6 assists and 34.3 rebounds on a nightly basis, which has them ranked 51st and 167th in college.

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

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take NJIT

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