Vermont Catamounts vs NJIT Highlanders Betting Pick & Prediction 2/8/24

Betting on today’s Catamounts and Highlanders game? Catch the action at NJIT Wellness and Events Center in Newark, NJ, as the Highlanders hosts this showdown at 7:00 ET on ESPN+. Vermont come into this America East conference matchup as the -12.5 favorite. The over/under line currently sits at 132 points.

VERMONT CATAMOUNTS VS NJIT HIGHLANDERS BETTING PICK

The Pick: NJIT Highlanders +12.5

This game will be played at NJIT Wellness and Events Center at 7:00 ET on Thursday, February 8th.

WHY BET THE NJIT HIGHLANDERS:

• We have this one finishing with a projected score of 74-68 in favor of the Highlanders.
• Not only will NJIT pick up the win, but look for them to cover at +12.5.
• The over/under is currently sitting at 132 points, and we like the over with a projected 142 points.

Does Vermont Have What it Takes to Win as Road Favorites?

With a record of 18-5, including a perfect 8-0 mark in America East games, Vermont is in a great position to extend its win streak to double digits. The Catamounts have won nine games in a row, and they are favored by 12.5 points in this one.

So far this season, Vermont has been favored in 15 of its 23 games, going 13-2 in those contests. On the road, the Catamounts have gone 7-4, and their average scoring margin is +3.1 points per game.

As the favorite, Vermont has gone 6-9 vs. the spread this season and is 3-7 ATS at home. However, the Catamounts have been a solid bet on the road this year, going 6-5 vs. the spread. Over their last three road games, Vermont is 3-0 ATS and they have a 5-5 ATS mark in their last 10 road contests.

This season, the over/under record for Vermont games is 6-14-1. So far, the average scoring total in their games is 135 points, which is 4.4 points lower than the average over/under line of 139.4. Today’s over/under line is set at 132. Over their last three games, the average scoring total is 125 points.

Coming off their recent game, the Vermont offense tallied 62 points in a matchup against Binghamton. Their field goal percentage for the game was 42.3%, and they made 8 threes. The Vermont offense has been looking to get up shots from outside so far this season, averaging 25 three-point attempts per contest. Overall, they have connected on 35% of their looks from outside this season.

So far this season, the Vermont defense has been performing well, ranking 13th in the country at 63.1 points allowed per contest. In terms of field goal percentage allowed, Vermont’s defense has allowed opponents to shoot 38.0% from the field, including a three-point shooting percentage allowed of 30.2% this season.

Is an Upset Waiting to Happen at Home?

On the season, NJIT has gone just 2-6 at home, and they have lost their last four games at home. For the year, they have gone 3-15 as the underdog, and they are 1-18 in games where they were the underdog.

In their last game, NJIT lost to Binghamton by a score of 75-66. Over their last 10 games, they have gone 3-7 at home.

As the underdog, NJIT has gone just 6-12 vs. the spread this year. Their home ATS record is just 2-6 and they have gone just 1-4 vs. the spread in their last five home games. Overall, the Highlanders are just 7-12 vs. the spread this season.

Today’s over/under line of 132 is lower than the average over/under line in NJIT’s games this season (143.6). Currently, their over/under record is 7-12. Over their last three games, the average scoring total is 138 points. So far, 12 of their games have finished with more points than today’s over/under line of 132.

The Highlanders’ offense wrapped up their last game with 66 points, aligning closely with their current season average of 68.8 points per contest. The top scorer for the Highlanders was Tariq Francis with 21 points, while Mekhi Gray also chipped in with 12 points.

So far, the Highlanders’ defense is ranked 229th in the country at 74.6 points per contest. The NJIT defense is coming off a game in which they gave up a total of 75 points and allowed Binghamton to connect on 3 threes.