UMBC Retrievers vs George Mason Patriots Prediction, 11/2/2026 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: UMBC Retrievers vs George Mason Patriots

Date: Monday, November 2, 2026

Location: EagleBank Arena in Fairfax, VA

TV: ESPN+

EagleBank Arena is where the George Mason Patriots (23-10 last year) will compete against the UMBC Retrievers (24-9 last season) on Monday.

The UMBC Retrievers played Howard and walked away from this one with a loss by a score of 86-83 in their last contest. UMBC ended the game with a 51.8% FG percentage (29 of 56) and converted 9 out of their 22 three-point shots. From the charity stripe, the Retrievers made 16 of their 24 attempts for a rate of 66.7%. In relation to grabbing rebounds, they compiled 32 with 6 of them being on the offensive end. They also recorded 11 assists for the matchup while forcing the other team into 8 turnovers and having 6 steals. In regard to defense, UMBC allowed the other team to go 47.5% from the floor on 29 out of 61 shooting. Howard doled out 14 dimes and had 3 steals for the contest. Moreover, Howard collected 37 rebounds (11 offensive, 26 defensive), but wasn't able to record a block. Howard ended up going 72.0% from the charity stripe by making 18 of 25 tries. They converted 10 out of their 21 attempts from beyond the perimeter. With respect to personal fouls, the Retrievers left the arena with 20 while Howard totaled 20 personal fouls.

Jah'Likai King is one player who was a major contributor for this contest. He finished the game at 46.7% from the floor and earned 2 assists. He was on the court for 33 minutes and also grabbed 2 rebounds. He ended up scoring 19 points on 7 out of 15 shooting.

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UMBC comes into this contest after finishing with a win-loss mark of 24-9 last season. They turned it over 9.6 times per game and as a group committed 13.5 fouls per contest. As a unit, UMBC snagged 35.4 rebounds per game and totaled 400 dimes last season, which had them ranked 288th in college in terms of passing the ball. The Retrievers connected on 36.3% on shots from downtown (268 of 739) and 75.8% from the free throw line. They had an average of 76.4 points per game (160th in college hoops) while connecting on 47.3% from the field.

On defense, the Retrievers forced their opponents into 10.2 turnovers per contest and they drew 15.5 personal fouls. They were 12th in the country in giving up assists to the opposition with 347 surrendered over the course of last year. The Retrievers defense allowed a field goal percentage of 42.5% (835 of 1,964) and they surrendered 33.2 boards per game as a group. They surrendered 31.4% on three-point shots and they ranked 34th in D-1 in points per game from their opponents (67.6).

The last time they took the court, the George Mason Patriots took a loss by a final score of 77-71 when they played Liberty. When it comes to rebounds, George Mason allowed Liberty to pull down 29 in all (6 offensive). They finished shooting 35.3% from 3-point land by shooting 6 of 17 and finished the contest at 17 of 20 at the charity stripe (85.0%). The Patriots allowed Liberty to bury 27 of their 55 tries from the field which had them at 49.1% for the matchup. When the game finished, the Patriots walked away from this one shooting 23 for 59 from the field which gave them a shooting percentage of 39.0%. With respect to 3-pointers, George Mason made 5 of their 17 attempts (29.4%). They were able to knock down 20 of them for a percentage of 83.3%. Liberty was called for 17 fouls in this matchup which got the Patriots to the free throw line for a total of 24 tries. They gave up possession 7 times, while recording 5 steals for the matchup. The Patriots were able to collect 20 defensive rebounds and 13 offensive rebounds totaling 33 in the game.

Jahari Long ended up having an impact for the Patriots for this game. He converted 9 out of 17 in the game giving him a field goal percentage of 52.9%, and totaled 1 rebound. He accumulated 27 points in his 40 minutes on the court and earned 4 dimes in the game.

George Mason had a record of 23-10 last season. The Patriots were responsible for committing 15.4 fouls per contest and they connected on 73.2% from the free throw line. Their rate of earning assists was at 12.5 times per contest (282nd in D-1) and they lost possession by turning the ball over 10.5 times per game. George Mason scored 2,418 points throughout last year (73.3 per contest) and they collected 34.9 rebounds per game. On the offensive side of the ball, the Patriots shot 47.2% from the floor, which ranked 61st in the nation.

The George Mason defense surrendered 32.6% on 3-point attempts (257 of 788) and their opposition made 70.9% of their free throw attempts. They surrendered 21.3 dimes and 31.0 boards per game, ranking them 320th and 22nd in college hoops. The Patriots on the defensive end were ranked 37th in D-1 in PPG allowed with 67.8. They forced 10.2 TO's every game and let teams shoot 42.7% from the field (90th in college hoops).

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

Tony Sink's Pick: Take UMBC

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