UMass Lowell River Hawks vs Bryant Bulldogs Prediction, 1/8/2026 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: UMass Lowell River Hawks vs Bryant Bulldogs

Date: Thursday, January 8, 2026

Location: Chace Athletic Center in Smithfield, RI

TV: ESPN+

The Bryant Bulldogs (5-10) will try to beat the UMass Lowell River Hawks (6-10) at Chace Athletic Center on Thursday.

The UMass Lowell River Hawks took the court against Albany and took home the win by a score of 83-71 in their last game. UMass Lowell ended the contest with a 49.3% FG percentage (33 of 67) and converted 5 out of their 16 shots from distance. From the charity stripe, the River Hawks converted 12 of their 17 attempts for a percentage of 70.6%. When talking about pulling down rebounds, they collected 37 with 14 of them being offensive. They also recorded 14 dimes for the game while forcing 10 turnovers and earning 7 steals. In reference to defending, UMass Lowell let their opponent shoot 46.8% from the floor on 29 of 62 shooting. Albany doled out 11 assists and had 5 steals for this contest. Furthermore, Albany collected 22 boards (6 offensive, 16 defensive), but wasn't able to put a block in the stat sheet. Albany finished shooting 61.5% when shooting free throws by knocking down 8 of their 13 attempts. They knocked down 5 of 18 attempts from distance. When talking about personal fouls, the River Hawks ended up walking away with 10 and Albany finished the game with 15 personal fouls.

Xavier Spencer is one guy who was a factor in this contest. He scored 23 points on 9 of 15 shooting. He played 36 minutes played and also snagged 6 boards. He ended up shooting 60.0% from the floor and distributed 5 dimes.

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UMass Lowell enters this one with a win-loss mark of 6-10 for the year. They currently have an average of 77.3 points per outing (188th in college hoops) while connecting on 47.6% from the floor. The River Hawks are shooting 33.4% from downtown (97 of 290) and 65.1% from the free throw line. As a unit, UMass Lowell is collecting 36.8 boards per game and is sitting with 221 assists so far this year, which has them ranked 166th in the nation in terms of passing the rock. They turn it over 13.8 times per game and as a squad they are committing 15.2 fouls per contest.

Defensively, the River Hawks are forcing 11.3 turnovers per contest and they draw 18.4 fouls. They are relinquishing 35.0% on three-point shots and they are 322nd in Division 1 in points per game allowed (79.9). The River Hawks defense is giving up a shooting percentage of 46.4% (470 of 1,014) and they concede 33.4 rebounds per contest as a team. They currently rank 306th in D-1 in allowing assists to the opposition with 237 conceded so far this year.

The last time they took the court, the Bryant Bulldogs went home victorious with a score of 56-51 against Maine. The Bulldogs corralled 27 defensive boards and 12 offensive boards for a total of 39 in the game. They turned the ball over 15 times, while getting 7 steals for the contest. Maine committed 15 personal fouls in the matchup which got the Bulldogs to the charity stripe for a total of 18 tries. They were able to knock down 12 of them for a percentage of 66.7%. In reference to shots from beyond the perimeter, Bryant knocked down 4 of 23 attempts (17.4%). When this game wrapped up, the Bulldogs went 20 for 60 from the floor which gave them a shooting percentage of 33.3%. The Bulldogs permitted Maine to knock down 18 out of their 57 attempts from the floor which had them shooting 31.6% in this contest. They finished 11.1% from beyond the perimeter by shooting 2 out of 18 and finished the game at 13 of 24 at the free throw line (54.2%). In reference to rebounds, Bryant allowed Maine to collect 35 overall (13 offensive).

Aaron Davis ended up being a factor for the Bulldogs for the game. He earned 13 points in his 32 minutes on the hardwood, but finished this game without an assist. He buried 4 of 7 in this game for a field goal rate of 57.1%, and had 4 rebounds.

Bryant has a mark of 5-10 on the season. As an offensive unit, the Bulldogs are connecting on 40.0% from the field, which is 350th in college. Bryant has totaled 961 points for the campaign (64.1 per game) and they snag 35.1 boards per game. They are assisting teammates 12.9 times per game (284th in the nation) and they turn it over 14.6 times per game. The Bulldogs are responsible for committing 16.2 fouls per contest while shooting 72.4% from the free throw line.

The Bulldogs on defense are ranked 115th in the nation in points per game surrendered with 70.7. They are forcing 10.5 turnovers per game and have let teams shoot 42.6% from the field (140th in college hoops). The Bryant defense gives up 33.7% on three-point shots (106 of 315) and their opponents are making 69.3% of their shots from the free throw line. They surrender 14.5 dimes and 37.5 rebounds per game, ranking them 265th and 310th in the nation.

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

Josh Schonwald's Pick: Take Bryant

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