UMBC Retrievers vs NJIT Highlanders Prediction, 3/3/2026 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: UMBC Retrievers vs NJIT Highlanders

Date: Tuesday, March 3, 2026

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

TV: ESPN+

The NJIT Highlanders (15-14) welcome the UMBC Retrievers (19-8) at Joel & Diane Bloom Wellness and Events Center on Tuesday.

The UMBC Retrievers faced UMass Lowell and went home with a win by a final score of 84-60 in their last contest. In reference to personal fouls, the Retrievers finished with 10 and UMass Lowell accumulated 14 personal fouls. They buried 5 out of their 23 tries from downtown. UMass Lowell finished the game shooting 63.6% from the free throw line by making 7 of 11 shots. Moreover, UMass Lowell collected 28 boards (10 offensive, 18 defensive), but finished the game with no rejections. UMass Lowell dished out 10 dimes and had 2 steals for the game. In the matter of the defense, UMBC allowed the other team to go 35.8% from the floor on 24 out of 67 shooting. They also dished out 10 assists in the game while forcing the opposition into 6 turnovers and getting 4 steals. With respect to hauling in rebounds, they compiled 34 with 2 of them being offensive. At the free throw line, the Retrievers converted 11 of 16 attempts for a rate of 68.8%. UMBC finished having earned a 60.3% field goal percentage (35 out of 58) and made 3 of their 11 3-point shots.

Jah'Likai King is a player who was a factor for the game. He went 69.2% from the floor but wasn't able to get a dime. He was on the court for 31 mins and collected 2 rebounds. He ended up scoring 24 points on 9 out of 13 shooting.

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UMBC steps onto the court with a record of 19-8 this season. They currently have an average of 74.6 pts per contest (219th in college) while hitting 46.3% from the floor. The Retrievers are hitting 35.0% on three-point attempts (212 of 605) and 75.5% from the free throw line. As a team, UMBC is grabbing 35.3 boards per game and has accounted for 331 dimes on the season, which ranks 336th in the nation in terms of passing the rock. They turn it over 9.9 times per game and as a unit they are committing 13.5 personal fouls per game.

When they are on the defensive end, the Retrievers are able to force 10.3 turnovers per game and they draw 15.3 fouls. They rank 6th in the country in giving up assists to their opponents with 295 relinquished on the campaign. The Retrievers defense is allowing and opponent field goal percentage of 43.1% (688 of 1,597) and they relinquish 33.3 rebounds per game as a unit. They relinquish 32.2% on 3-point attempts and they rank 41st in college hoops in PPG from their opponents (68.0).

For their last game, the NJIT Highlanders walked away from this one with a loss by a score of 69-52 when they faced Bryant. With respect to how they attacked the glass, NJIT permitted Bryant to snag 33 overall (8 on the offensive glass). They wrapped up this game 32.1% from distance by going 9 out of 28 and ended up shooting 12 of 16 at the free throw line (75.0%). The Highlanders permitted Bryant to bury 24 of their 54 attempts from the field which gave them a rate of 44.4% for the matchup. When the final whistle blew, the Highlanders ended up going 18 for 55 from the field which gave them a percentage of 32.7%. In the matter of shooting from distance, NJIT converted 3 of 15 attempts (20.0%). They were able to knock down 13 of those for a rate of 68.4%. Bryant committed 17 fouls for this game which got the Highlanders to the free throw line for 19 attempts. They coughed up the ball 10 times, while recording 10 steals for the contest. The Highlanders were able to snag 21 defensive rebounds and 7 offensive boards totaling 28 for the contest.

Sebastian Robinson ended up being a major contributor for the Highlanders in this game. He converted 7 out of 21 for this contest giving him a field goal percentage of 33.3%, and accumulated 4 rebounds. He totaled 15 points in his 36 mins on the court and tallied 1 assist in this game.

NJIT has a record of 15-14 for the season. The Highlanders commit 18.5 fouls per contest and they hit 70.8% from the charity stripe. They are getting an assist 11.2 times per game (344th in the nation) and they turn it over 11.3 times per game. NJIT has totaled 1,994 points on the year (68.8 per game) and they grab 34.8 rebounds per contest. When it comes to executing on offense, the Highlanders are connecting on 41.1% from the field, which has them ranked 344th in Division 1.

The Highlanders are ranked 182nd in D-1 in points per game surrendered with 73.7. They are forcing their opponents into 11.2 TO's every game and have let teams shoot 43.1% from the floor (118th in college hoops). The NJIT defense concedes 32.2% from downtown (221 of 686) and their opposition makes 69.3% of their free throw shots. They allow 13.2 dimes and 38.1 boards per game, which is ranked 162nd and 345th in those categories on the defensive end.

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

Tony Sink's Pick: Take UMBC

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