UMass vs George Mason Prediction 1/11/25 College Basketball Picks

The UMass Minutemen and the George Mason Patriots meet Saturday in college basketball action from EagleBank Arena. Here’s a UMass vs George Mason prediction. We will look at this from a betting perspective and determine the best UMass vs George Mason pick. We will examine:

The UMass Minutemen’s recent form and player performance

The George Mason Patriots’ recent form and player performance

Recent betting trends and streaks involving the UMass Minutemen

Recent betting trends and streaks involving the George Mason Patriots

Recent betting trends in games played between UMass and George Mason

A summary that ties it all together and produces a favorable betting outcome for the UMass vs George Mason game

UMass Minutemen Betting Preview

UMass has one pretty good six-game run this season, but overall it’s been a struggle—to put things lightly. The Minutemen beat New Hampshire in their first outing then took a losing streak to West Virginia, Louisiana Tech, Hofstra, and Temple. A 4-2 run came next with losses to Central Connecticut and UMass Lowell in between wins over Harvard, NJIT, Massachusetts-Boston, and Northeastern. Since then it’s been losses to Arizona State, Saint Joseph’s, and Richmond before a win over Dayton for a 6-10 overall record on the season for UMass.

In the Dayton game back on Wednesday, UMass was within striking distance of a 39-36 deficit by the break. The Minutemen hit a 40-33 run the rest of the way and took the comeback win 76-72 in the end. Leading the charge was Daniel Rivera with 23 points, 12 rebounds, three assists, and three steals with two blocks in a stat-sheet-filling effort. Rahsool Diggins added 18 points with six assists, and Marqui Worthy came off the bench for 18 points and three boards.

George Mason Patriots Betting Preview

Over on the George Mason side, they didn’t start out so hot this year but they’ve cleaned up their act considerably since then. The Patriots hit a 2-3 run out of the gate with wins over North Carolina Central and Stony Brook. The losses came versus Marquette, Central Michigan, and East Carolina. George Mason has been on a 9-2 run in their last 11 games with losses to only Duke and Rhode Island. Otherwise, it’s been wins over Coppin State, Ferrum, James Madison, UNC Asheville, Tulane, Penn, Mount St. Mary’s, Davidson, and Richmond in that time.

In the Richmond matchup on Wednesday, the Patriots held a 32-28 deficit by halftime. George Mason fought back with a 36-26 run the rest of the way for a 64-58 comeback win. Leading the team in scoring was Brayden O’Connor with 16 points, three rebounds, and four assists. Woody Newton added 15 points with six rebounds and two steals, while Darius Maddox had 10 points in 30 minutes of work. Giovanni Emejuru added eight points and eight boards off the bench.

Why the George Mason Patriots will win

• The home team has won each of George Mason’s last eight games.
• Massachusetts has lost five of its last six day games against the Atlantic 10 Conference.
• Massachusetts has lost the first half in each of its last five games against Conference opponents.

UMass vs George Mason Prediction

I’m staying with George Mason. The Patriots had a little trouble initially with a middling Richmond team in their last outing but everything worked out well. George Mason didn’t shoot great (38.6 percent) and had 15 turnovers but owned the boards on a 38-21 advantage (13-4 offensive). The Patriots have held opponents below 69 points in 11 straight games—a 9-2 run.

As for UMass, their win over a good Dayton team speaks to the unpredictability of college basketball. The Minutemen pulled it off thanks to 45 percent shooting, 19-of-20 from the line, and a 38-26 rebounding advantage though, so they can play if they put their minds to it. That said, UMass has given up 72 or more points in five straight games so George Mason should have their way on the scoreboard in this one. I wouldn’t be surprised to see the Minutemen post a spirited outing—especially early—but in the end, I think the Patriots will hammer one out. Should be a fun game, though.