Albany (13-16) vs Maine (13-16)
Game Info: Saturday, March 2, 2024 at 4:00 pm (Broadview Center)
Betting Odds: Albany Great Danes +1 -- Over/Under: Click Here for the Latest Odds
Where to Watch: ESPN+
The Maine Black Bears and the Albany Great Danes meet Saturday in college basketball action from SEFCU Arena. Maine is coming off a Thursday game versus Binghamton. In that one the Bears took an overtime loss. As for Albany, they played New Hampshire in their last game. The Danes rolled to a blowout win. Let’s get into our Maine vs. Albany prediction. Check back all season long for free college basketball picks at Pick Dawgz.
Maine Black Bears
The Black Bears were a spotty 8-10 over their first 18 games. Maine would then hit a 3-2 stretch that featured wins over NJIT, Albany and Bryant. After losses to New Hampshire, Bryant and Vermont in the next three, the Black Bears would beat UMBC and NJIT in consecutive outings.
On Thursday versus Binghamton, the Black Bears were down by eight points going into the break. Maine fought back on a 31-23 run to force overtime but ultimately fell 76-74 in a tough result. Peter Filipovity was the top team scorer on his 17 points and 14 rebounds in 34 minutes.
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Albany Great Danes
Over on the Great Danes’ side, they put up a 10-7 run to start the year. Albany would lose to UMass Lowell, Bryant, Maine, Vermont, UMBC and Binghamton over the next seven games, though. Following a win over NJIT, next came losses to UMBC, Vermont and UMass Lowell for the Great Danes.
Matched up against New Hampshire on Thursday, Albany started things out with a modest 42-41 edge by halftime. The Great Danes hit a 49-26 run in the second half and surged to a 91-67 win, though. Amar’e Marshall doubled up on 26 points and 14 rebounds in the victory.
ANDREW’S FREE MAINE VS ALBANY PREDICTION
I’ll take a stab on Maine. This one’s a coin flip, though. The Black Bears notched a reasonable effort in their overtime loss to Binghamton Thursday but ultimately came up short. Maine shot 44.3 percent in that one but also got outmuscled 40-30 on the boards. The Bears will need to get the offense going after hitting below 69 points in three straight non-overtime games.
Back on January 25 when these teams last saw each other, Maine powered out an 81-73 win at home. The Bears played a solid all-around game there (despite the 18 turnovers), shooting 52.7 percent from the field with 37 rebounds. Maine will need to keep an eye on ball control in the rematch but I think they’ve got a solid shot at a cover/win.
Andrew’s Pick Maine Black Bears -1
AUTHOR: Andrew Jett
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