UMass Lowell River Hawks vs NJIT Highlanders Prediction, 2/5/2026 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: UMass Lowell River Hawks vs NJIT Highlanders

Date: Thursday, February 5, 2026

Location: Joel & Diane Bloom Wellness and Events Center in Newark, NJ

TV: ESPN+

The NJIT Highlanders (11-12) host the UMass Lowell River Hawks (9-14) at Joel & Diane Bloom Wellness and Events Center on Thursday.

The UMass Lowell River Hawks played Maine and walked away with a win by a score of 91-77 in their last game. With respect to fouls, the River Hawks ended up finishing with 16 while Maine totaled 15 fouls. They knocked down 5 out of their 17 shots from long range. Maine went 73.7% at the free throw line by making 14 of 19 shots. Moreover, Maine collected 10 rebounds (0 offensive, 10 defensive), but didn't record a block for the team. Maine recorded 12 assists and had 14 steals in this matchup. When it comes to defending, UMass Lowell let their opponent shoot 50.9% from the floor on 29 of 57 shooting. They also recorded 15 assists in this matchup as well as forcing the other team into 7 turnovers and getting 7 steals. In relation to rebounding, they compiled 45 with 16 of them being offensive. When they shot from the free throw line, the River Hawks knocked down 14 of 15 tries for a rate of 93.3%. UMass Lowell ended the game with a 58.1% FG percentage (36 out of 62) and knocked down 5 of their 14 three-point attempts.

Angel Montas is one guy who came through in the matchup. He finished 63.2% from the field and totaled 1 assist. He played for 37 mins played and also grabbed 8 rebounds. He accounted for 30 points on 12 out of 19 shooting.

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UMass Lowell enters this one with a mark of 9-14 this year. They turn it over 13.3 times per game and as a unit are committing 15.1 personal fouls per contest. As a unit, UMass Lowell is pulling in 37.3 boards per game and has accounted for 288 dimes so far this year, which ranks 269th in Division 1 in terms of passing the ball. The River Hawks are connecting on 32.5% on 3-point shots (135 of 415) and 66.9% from the charity stripe. They are averaging 75.1 pts per game (219th in the country) while shooting 46.7% from the floor.

On defense, the River Hawks have forced 10.6 turnovers per contest and they draw 17.6 fouls. They are currently ranked 236th in D-1 in giving up assists to the opposition with 313 conceded for the campaign. The River Hawks defense is giving up a FG percentage of 45.9% (654 of 1,425) and they concede 32.5 boards per contest as a team. They are surrendering 34.2% on shots from distance while they are 277th in the country in points per game allowed (77.4).

The last time they took the court, the NJIT Highlanders got the victory with a final of 79-77 against Vermont. In the matter of how they cleaned up the glass, NJIT permitted Vermont to get 31 overall (11 on the offensive glass). They finished the game shooting 27.6% from behind the 3-point line by connecting on 8 out of 29 and finished the game at 17 out of 25 at the free throw line (68.0%). The Highlanders permitted Vermont to make 26 out of 63 attempts from the field which gave them a shooting percentage of 41.3% in this matchup. When this game wrapped up, the Highlanders shot 28 for 60 from the floor which gave them a shooting percentage of 46.7%. When talking about shooting from beyond the arc, NJIT made 8 out of their 18 attempts (44.4%). They were able to make 15 of the free throws for a rate of 78.9%. Vermont committed 20 fouls in this contest which got the Highlanders to the charity stripe for a total of 19 tries. They also gave up possession of the ball 7 times, while getting 7 steals for this game. The Highlanders were able to collect 26 defensive rebounds and 6 offensive boards totaling 32 for the contest.

Sebastian Robinson was important for the Highlanders for this contest. He buried 8 of 14 in this contest for a rate of 57.1%, and had 5 rebounds. He totaled 22 points in his 36 minutes on the hardwood and accounted for 1 assist in this game.

NJIT has a win-loss mark of 11-12 on the campaign. In terms of offensive execution, the Highlanders are shooting 39.7% from the field, which is 358th in college. NJIT has 1,570 pts on the year (68.3 per contest) and they pull down 35.0 boards per contest. Their rate of dishing out assists is at 10.9 times per contest (348th in college) and they lose possession via turnover 12.2 times per contest. The Highlanders commit 18.7 fouls per contest and they connect on 72.7% from the free throw line.

The NJIT defense surrenders 33.1% on shots from beyond the arc (185 of 559) and their opponents are making 70.0% of their free throw shots. They relinquish 13.8 dimes and 38.5 total boards per game, which ranks them 213th and 344th in the nation. The Highlanders are ranked 229th in college in points per game surrendered with 75.5. They have forced 11.2 turnovers on a nightly basis and have let teams shoot 43.5% from the floor (160th in Division 1).

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

Josh Schonwald's Pick: Take NJIT

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