UMBC Retrievers vs Vermont Catamounts Prediction, 1/29/2026 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: UMBC Retrievers vs Vermont Catamounts

Date: Thursday, January 29, 2026

Location: Patrick Gymnasium in Burlington, VT

TV: ESPN+

The UMBC Retrievers (12-7) are on their way to Patrick Gymnasium on Thursday where they will attempt to defeat the Vermont Catamounts (13-8).

The UMBC Retrievers took the court against UMass Lowell and went home with a win by a final score of 79-56 in their last contest. In relation to fouls, the Retrievers ended up walking away with 7 and UMass Lowell recorded 14 fouls. They made 4 out of their 24 shots from 3-point range. UMass Lowell shot 66.7% from the free throw line by burying 6 of 9 attempts. Moreover, UMass Lowell grabbed 29 rebounds (8 offensive, 21 defensive), but didn't have a block. UMass Lowell doled out 6 dimes and had 4 steals in the game. In relation to defense, UMBC allowed their opponent to shoot 37.1% from the floor on 23 out of 62 shooting. They also doled out 7 assists for the contest as well as creating 9 turnovers and having 5 steals. In relation to pulling down boards, they earned 32 with 4 of them being on the offensive end. From the charity stripe, the Retrievers converted 19 of 20 tries for a percentage of 95.0%. UMBC ended the contest having earned a 49.1% FG percentage (27 of 55) and converted 6 of 16 shots from beyond the arc.

DJ Armstrong is one guy who was a factor for this contest. He finished the game at 58.3% from the floor and also totaled 1 assist. He played for 34 mins and also snagged 4 rebounds. He ended up walking away with 22 points on 7 of 12 shooting.

Get all of our NCAA Picks Today

UMBC steps onto the court with a win-loss record of 12-7 this year. They cough up possession 10.9 times per game and as a unit are committing 13.2 fouls on a nightly basis. As a unit, UMBC is snagging 34.7 rebounds per game and has totaled 249 assists on the season, which has them ranked 312th in Division 1 in terms of passing the ball. The Retrievers are shooting 36.0% on shots from 3-point land (155 of 430) and 73.0% from the free throw line. They have an average of 75.7 points per game (205th in college hoops) on 47.5% from the field.

When they are on defense, the Retrievers are forcing 10.3 turnovers every game while drawing 15.1 fouls. They are 12th in college in giving up assists with 207 relinquished for the year. The Retrievers are giving up an opponent shooting percentage of 44.2% (515 of 1,166) and they surrender 34.2 boards per game as a squad. They give up 31.8% on 3-pointers while they are 101st in college hoops in opponents points per game (70.4).

When they last played, the Vermont Catamounts went home victorious with a score of 62-52 when they faced Bryant. The Catamounts were able to collect 20 defensive rebounds and 13 offensive boards for a total of 33 for the matchup. They coughed up the ball 6 times, while recording 3 steals for this contest. Bryant committed 17 personal fouls for this game which took the Catamounts to the charity stripe for a total of 20 tries. They were able to convert 15 of the free throws for a rate of 75.0%. When talking about 3-point attempts, Vermont made 9 of their 26 attempts (34.6%). When all was said and done, the Catamounts shot 19 for 52 from the floor which gave them a rate of 36.5%. The Catamounts allowed Bryant to convert 15 out of their 47 attempts from the floor which gave them a rate of 31.9% in this matchup. They shot 17.4% from beyond the arc by hitting 4 out of 23 and ended up shooting 18 of 22 from the charity stripe (81.8%). In relation to how they cleaned up the glass, Vermont allowed Bryant to pull down 24 overall (6 on the offensive glass).

TJ Hurley ended up being important for the Catamounts in this matchup. He recorded 26 points in his 31 minutes on the hardwood and added 2 dimes for this game. He buried 8 of 16 for this game giving him a field goal percentage of 50.0%, and added 2 rebounds.

Vermont has a record of 13-8 for the campaign. The Catamounts commit 17.0 personal fouls every game and they go 74.2% from the charity stripe. They are dishing out assists 12.9 times per contest (266th in college) and they lose possession by turning the ball over 9.5 times per game. Vermont has scored 1,576 points this season (75.0 per game) and they collect 35.2 boards per contest. When it comes to offensive execution, the Catamounts are hitting on 46.9% from the field, which ranks 99th in the country.

The Catamounts defensively are ranked 112th in Division 1 in points per game surrendered with 71.0. They are forcing 9.2 TO's every game and have let teams shoot 43.4% from the field (166th in college). The Vermont defense gives up 35.1% on shots from 3-point land (173 of 493) and opponents are knocking down 74.4% of their foul shots. They allow 12.7 assists and 31.0 boards on a nightly basis, which ranks 120th and 31st in college hoops.

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

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take UMBC

Get $60 worth of FREE premium member picks. No Obligation. No Salesman. No Credit Card. Fast Sign up with Instant Access Click Here

Get college basketball picks on every single game, or if you want our very best bets by the experts, sign up for your free $60 account with a guarantee.