UMBC Retrievers vs UMass Lowell River Hawks Prediction, 2/28/2026 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: UMBC Retrievers vs UMass Lowell River Hawks

Date: Saturday, February 28, 2026

Location: Kennedy Family Athletic Complex in Lowell, MA

TV: ESPN+

The UMBC Retrievers (19-8) are on their way to Kennedy Family Athletic Complex on Saturday where they will compete against the UMass Lowell River Hawks (13-16).

The UMBC Retrievers faced Bryant and earned the victory with a final of 70-58 in their last contest. When talking about personal fouls, the Retrievers ended up finishing with 14 while Bryant accounted for 16 personal fouls. They made 8 out of their 23 shots from long range. Bryant ended up going 70.0% when shooting free throws by knocking down 14 of their 20 tries. Furthermore, Bryant pulled down 21 rebounds (5 offensive, 16 defensive), but wasn't able to put a block in the stat sheet. Bryant dished out 8 dimes and had 6 steals for the contest. In terms of the defense, UMBC allowed the other team to shoot 35.3% from the floor on 18 of 51 shooting. They also recorded 6 assists in the game as well as forcing the other team into 9 turnovers and getting 3 steals. When talking about hauling in boards, they collected 37 with 9 of them being offensive. When they shot from the free throw line, the Retrievers knocked down 17 of their 19 shots for a rate of 89.5%. UMBC finished the game with a 47.1% field goal percentage (24 out of 51) and knocked down 5 of 19 3-point attempts.

Ace Valentine is someone who was a contributor in the matchup. He finished the contest at 60.0% from the floor and also earned 4 assists. He played 37 mins and collected 4 rebounds. He finished with 15 points on 6 out of 10 shooting.

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UMBC will enter this matchup with a record of 19-8 this year. They are turning it over 9.9 times per contest and as a team they commit 13.5 fouls per game. As a unit, UMBC is snagging 35.3 rebounds per game and has accounted for 331 dimes on the season, which has them ranked 335th in the country in terms of passing. The Retrievers are hitting 35.0% on shots from 3-point land (212 of 605) and 75.5% from the charity stripe. They average 74.6 points per outing (220th in Division 1) while going 46.3% from the floor.

When they are on defense, the Retrievers are forcing their opponents into 10.3 turnovers every game and they draw 15.3 personal fouls. They are giving up 32.2% on 3-point shots and they are 41st in the country in opponents PPG (68.0). The Retrievers defense is giving up a FG percentage of 43.1% (688 of 1,597) and they concede 33.3 boards per game as a unit. They are 6th in college hoops in giving up assists with 295 surrendered so far this season.

The last time they took the hardwood, the UMass Lowell River Hawks took a loss by a final score of 66-64 when they played Vermont. In the matter of cleaning the glass, UMass Lowell permitted Vermont to snag 34 overall (10 on the offensive side). They went 30.8% from downtown by going 8 out of 26 and walked away from this one shooting 12 out of 16 at the free throw line (75.0%). The River Hawks allowed Vermont to make 23 out of 60 tries from the field which gave them a shooting percentage of 38.3% for this game. At the conclusion of this game, the River Hawks shot 25 for 61 from the floor which had them shooting 41.0%. With respect to shooting from beyond the arc, UMass Lowell buried 3 of their 16 tries (18.8%). They were able to make 11 of them for a percentage of 55.0%. Vermont was called for 14 fouls for the contest which got the River Hawks to the free throw line for 20 tries. They coughed up the ball 9 times, while getting 6 steals in the game. The River Hawks were able to collect 23 defensive boards and 12 offensive rebounds totaling 35 for this contest.

Austin Green ended up being a major contributor for the River Hawks in the matchup. He recorded 16 points in his 39 mins on the court and tallied 3 assists for this game. He made 7 out of 9 for this contest giving him a field goal percentage of 77.8%, and had 14 rebounds.

UMass Lowell has a mark of 13-16 for the campaign. The River Hawks commit 14.8 fouls per contest and they connect on 66.3% from the free throw line. They are getting an assist 12.5 times per contest (286th in the nation) and they turn it over 12.6 times per game. UMass Lowell has totaled 2,194 pts on the year (75.7 per game) and they collect 37.5 rebounds per game. When it comes to executing on offense, the River Hawks are hitting on 47.0% from the floor, which has them ranked 76th in the nation.

The UMass Lowell defense surrenders 33.5% on 3-point attempts (222 of 662) and their opponents are knocking down 73.2% of their free throw attempts. They have relinquished 13.7 dimes and 32.5 boards on a nightly basis, which is ranked 206th and 68th in the country. The River Hawks on the defensive end are ranked 246th in D-1 in points given up per game with 76.2. They are able to force 10.2 turnovers per game and have let teams shoot 45.8% from the floor (275th in college).

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

Josh Schonwald's Pick: Take UMass Lowell

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