NJIT Highlanders vs Niagara Purple Eagles Betting Pick & Prediction 12/16/23

Planning on watching today’s Highlanders and Purple Eagles game? Catch the action at Gallagher Center in Niagara Falls, NY, as the Purple Eagles hosts this showdown at 1:00 ET on ESPN+. The odds for this non-conference game currently have the Purple Eagles as the betting favorite with the over/under line sitting at 141 points.

NJIT HIGHLANDERS VS NIAGARA PURPLE EAGLES BETTING PICK

The Pick: NJIT Highlanders +5.5

This game will be played at Gallagher Center at 1:00 ET on Saturday, December 16th.

WHY BET THE NJIT HIGHLANDERS:

• We have this one finishing with a projected score of 73-70 in favor of the Purple Eagles.
• Even though we have Niagara winning straight-up, we like NJIT at +5.5.
• The over/under is currently sitting at 141 points, and we like the over with a projected 143 points.

Do the Highlanders Stand a Chance on the Road?

NJIT, with a 2-7 record, will play Niagara today. The Highlanders have a 1-5 record on the road and a 1-2 record at home. At the moment, NJIT holds a below .500 ATS record of 4-5. In terms of ATS performance, the Highlanders are 3-3 on the road and 1-2 at home.

Looking at their over/under performance through nine games, NJIT has an over/under record of 5-4-0, with their games averaging 144.9 points per game on average. The Highlanders’ last five games have culminated with an average of 141 points per game and an over/under record of 2-3.

Against Wake Forest, the NJIT had a tough time putting up points compared to their season average of 65.3 points per game. They scored 59 points and posted a field goal percentage of 39% in the game. Currently leading the team in scoring is Adam Hess who comes into today’s matchup averaging 11.6. Elijah Buchanan also heads into the game with a PPG average of 12.6.

The Highlanders’ defense is presently ranked 232nd nationally, allowing an average of 79.4 points per contest. So far, the NJIT defense is giving up an average of 12.7 offensive rebounds per game and are turning teams over 13.2 times per game (557th).

Will Niagara Live Up to Expectations at Home?

As they take on NJIT, the NJIT Highlanders come into the game with a 2-6 overall record. In their last five home games, which includes games from last year, Niagara has a 1-4 record. As of today, Niagara has a 2-3 ATS record. This includes a 2-1 record on the road vs. the spread and a 0-2 record at home.

After eight games, Niagara has an over/under record of 4-1-0, with their games averaging a combined 140.8 points per game so far. The Purple Eagles have seen their last five games conclude with a collective average of 148 points per game and an over/under record of 2-2.

The Niagara offense is coming off a game in which they scored 67 points vs. Saint Peter’s. Overall their field goal percentage was 43.8% while connecting on 3 threes. In terms of three-point shooting, the Purple Eagles offense has been good from outside, hitting 37% of their three-pointers on an average of 16.4 attempts per game. Their overall field goal percentage is currently 47%.

At present, the Purple Eagles’ defense is nationally ranked 195th, allowing 75.1 points per game. The Niagara defense is coming off a game in which they gave up a total of 72 points and allowed Saint Peter’s to connect on 3 threes.