Niagara vs Manhattan Prediction 1/18/25 College Basketball Picks

The Niagara Purple Eagles and the Manhattan Jaspers meet Saturday in college basketball action from Draddy Gymnasium. Here’s a Niagara vs Manhattan prediction. We will look at this from a betting perspective and determine the best Niagara vs Manhattan pick. We will examine:

The Niagara Purple Eagles’ recent form and player performance

The Manhattan Jaspers’ recent form and player performance

Recent betting trends and streaks involving the Niagara Purple Eagles

Recent betting trends and streaks involving the Manhattan Jaspers

Recent betting trends in games played between Niagara and Manhattan

A summary that ties it all together and produces a favorable betting outcome for the Niagara vs Manhattan game

Niagara Purple Eagles Betting Preview

The Purple Eagles have struggled to maintain form so far this year, and they’ve been unable to keep their heads above a .500 record. Niagara went just 2-5 in their first seven games, beating only Hougton and Binghamton with losses otherwise versus Michigan State, Detroit, Bowling Green, Kent State, and Lafayette. The Eagles would hit a 3-1 stretch over the next four games, losing to Merrimack with wins over Long Island U, Siena, and St. Francis PA. A 2-3 stretch followed as the Eagles beat Le Moyne and Saint Peters amid losses to St. Bonaventure, Mount St. Mary’s, and Rider for a 7-9 overall record through the first 16 games of the season.

In their Thursday matchup with Fairfield, the Eagles were outscored 35-22 by the end of the first half. Niagara got better from there on a 44-35 run but eventually lost 70-66 in the end. Leading the starters in scoring were Justin Page (two assists) and Zion Russell (four rebounds). Jaeden Marshall added 12 points and seven rebounds off the bench in the defeat.

Manhattan Jaspers Betting Preview

Over on the Manhattan side, they’ve been highly inconsistent this year as well, with only two instances of consecutive victories so far. The Jaspers beat Mercy, Fordham, and Army among losses to Maryland and Fairleigh Dickinson amid a 3-2 start, then fell to Virginia, Le Moyne, and Marist over the next four outings (with a lone win over Saint Peter’s). Since then it’s been a 3-3 stretch for Manhattan, as they’ve taken out Wagner, Presbyterian, and Rider alongside losses to Siena, Mount St. Mary’s, and Merrimack for a 7-8 overall run so far this season.

Matched up against Merrimack back on Sunday, the Jaspers came out of halftime looking up at a 32-28 deficit. Manhattan didn’t end up getting any closer than that on a 37-34 second-half deficit and took the loss 69-62 in the end. Leading the way in scoring were Masiah Gilyard (14 points; nine rebounds; four steals) and Wesley Robinson (14 points; seven rebounds; two assists). Also in double-figures was Will Sydnor with 11 points, four rebounds, and two assists, while Devin Dinkins provided all the bench points (nine) in 26 minutes of action on the court.

Why the Manhattan Jaspers will win

• Manhattan has won each of its last six day games against Niagara at Draddy Gymnasium.
• Niagara has lost each of its last six day games at Draddy Gymnasium against non-AP-ranked opponents.
• Niagara has lost the first half in five of its last six day games at Draddy Gymnasium against non-AP-ranked opponents.

Why the Niagara Purple Eagles will win

• Manhattan has lost each of its last six day games against the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference at Draddy Gymnasium.
• Niagara has won three of its last four games when playing with a rest disadvantage.
• Niagara has won the first half in three of its last four road day games against the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference.

Niagara vs Manhattan Prediction

I’ll stick with Manhattan I suppose. There’s not a lot of intrigue involved here if you’re not a fan of either team, though. The Jaspers shot pretty well (46.5 percent) and stayed competitive on the boards (29-29) in their latest loss to Merrimack. The problem? Manhattan coughed up a whopping 18 turnovers for 23 Warriors points, which was the key stat in the defeat. The last couple of games have been pretty meager offensively for the Jaspers; they’ve hit a combined 128 points in that pair while allowing 144 on the other side during both losses. Manhattan is capable of scoring if they put their minds to it, though. The Jaspers had a run of 70-plus points in seven straight games stretching from late November to early January. If they can recapture a bit of that mojo in Saturday’s game, I like Manhattan to power out a cover to get back on track.