Maine Black Bears vs NJIT Highlanders NCAA Basketball Betting Pick & Prediction 1/16/25

Looking to win big? The Black Bears and Highlanders face off at 11:00 ET on ESPN+. The Highlanders are hosting the game at NJIT Wellness and Events Center in Newark, NJ. Maine is favored by -9 in this America East conference contest against NJIT. The game’s over/under currently sits at 129.5 points.

MAINE BLACK BEARS VS NJIT HIGHLANDERS BETTING PICK

The Pick: NJIT Highlanders +9

This game will be played at NJIT Wellness and Events Center at 11:00 ET on Thursday, January 16th.

WHY BET THE NJIT HIGHLANDERS:

• We have this one finishing with a projected score of 76-69 in favor of the Highlanders.
• Not only will NJIT pick up the win, but look for them to cover at +9.
• The over/under is currently sitting at 129.5 points, and we like the over with a projected 145 points.

Will Maine Shock Everyone at NJIT Wellness and Events Center?

Maine evened their season record at 8-8 with an 87-66 win over Albany on Saturday. Playing at home, the Black Bears entered the game as -4.5 favorites and covered the spread with ease.

Maine led 43-31 at halftime and continued their strong play in the second half, outscoring Albany 44-35. The game’s total points of 153 went over the pre-game line of 143.

Maine’s offense was firing on all cylinders in their last game, putting up 87 points with a 56.4% shooting performance from the field. They connected on 47.8% of their three-point attempts, hitting 11 of 23, and were strong from the free-throw line, making 77.8% of their shots. Their effective field goal percentage was an impressive 65.5%.

Jaden Clayton and AJ Lopez each contributed 16 points, with Clayton adding 7 assists. Christopher Mantis hit 5 threes, finishing with 17 points in just 20 minutes. The Black Bears had 24 assists as a team, but managed only 2 offensive rebounds in the game.

Even with Maine’s defense allowing 66 points, they couldn’t capitalize on the offensive end. The Black Bears shot 56% from the field, going 31/55 overall. Inside the arc, they were 20/32, hitting 62% of their two-point attempts.

From three-point range, Maine connected on 11/23 shots, shooting 47%. They also went 14/18 from the free-throw line, making 77% of their attempts. The Black Bears gave up just 2 offensive rebounds.

Can NJIT Deliver Being Underdogs at Home?

NJIT fell to 2-14 on the season after a 70-62 loss to Massachusetts-Lowell on Saturday. Despite being +20 point underdogs, the Highlanders kept things closer than expected. The total points for the game were 132, which was under the 143.5 O/U line.

NJIT trailed 39-26 at halftime but outscored the River Hawks 36-31 in the 2nd half. While they couldn’t complete the comeback, they showed some fight in the latter stages of the game.

In their last game, NJIT’s offense struggled, shooting just 37.9% from the field and finishing with 62 points. Their effective field goal percentage was 42.4%, and they hit 35% from beyond the arc, making 7 of 20 attempts. Free-throw shooting was also an issue, as they connected on just 5 of 9 attempts for 55.6%.

Martin Somerville led the way with 26 points, hitting 5 of 9 from three-point range and adding 6 assists. Sebastian Robinson contributed 21 points and 6 assists, despite shooting 38.5% overall. Max Brooks was efficient, making 7 of 10 shots and grabbing 14 rebounds.

Even with NJIT holding their opponents to 70 points, the Highlanders couldn’t come away with the win. They limited the damage by allowing just 37% shooting from the field, including 39% on two-point attempts.

From beyond the arc, NJIT gave up 7 threes on 20 attempts, a 35% clip. They also sent their opponents to the line 9 times, where they hit 5 free throws. NJIT allowed 13 offensive rebounds.