Canisius vs Rider Prediction 3/6/25 College Basketball Picks

The Canisius Golden Griffins and the Rider Broncs meet Thursday in college basketball action from the Alumni Gymnasium. We will look at this from a betting perspective and determine the best bets for this game. Here’s a Canisius vs. Rider prediction.

Matchup History

The Canisius Golden Griffins won the first meeting this season at home back on January 10th, 2025 by a final score of 85-67. The win for Canisius snapped Rider’s two-game win streak in this head-to-head matchup.

Canisius Recap

The Canisius Golden Griffins come into this game looking to bounce back from an 82-52 loss at the hands of Iona last time out to slip to 3-26 on the year. After this game, Canisius will head on the road for a game against Saint Peter’s to close out the regular season.

Golden Griffins Lose Back-To-Back Games

Paul McMillan IV leads the Griffins in scoring with 20 PPG along with 3.5 RPG and 2.8 APG while Tana Kopa has 13.2 PPG and 3.3 RPG as the only other double-digit scorer for Canisius so far this season. Jasman Sangha has 9.2 PPG with 3.4 RPG and Cam Palesse has a team-high 4.9 RPG to lead the Golden Griffins on the glass while Anthony Benard’s logged a team-high 3.8 APG to lead the Golden Griffins in assists. Dylan Godfrey’s added 8.6 PPG with 2.6 RPG as well this season. As a team, Canisius is averaging 65.4 PPG on 44.1% shooting from the field, 37.2% from three, and 75.3% from the foul line this season.

Why the Canisius Golden Griffins will win

• Rider has lost each of its last four games when playing with a rest advantage.
• The road team has won four of Canisius’ last five games.

Rider Recap

The Rider Broncs come into this game looking to build on an 83-78 win over Merrimack last time out to sit at 11-18 on the year. After this game, Rider will welcome Niagara to town to close out the regular season.

Broncs Looking To Finish Strong

T.J. Weeks Jr. leads the Broncs in scoring with 13.9 PPG and 5.2 RPG while Jay Alvarez has 10.6 PPG with 4.6 RPG and Tariq Ingraham has 10.3 PPG with a team-high 6.7 RPG to lead the Broncs on the glass. Zion Cruz has 10.2 PPG with 2.8 RPG, rounding out the group of double-digit scorers for Rider up to this point in the year. Ruben Rodriguez also has a team-high 3 APG to lead the Broncs in assists and Flash Burton has 7.2 PPG up to this point in the season. As a team, Rider is averaging 66 PPG on 42.3% shooting from the field, 31.4% from three, and 71.7% from the foul line this season.

Why the Rider Broncs will win

• Canisius has lost each of its last 14 games following a home loss.
• Rider has won four of its last five home games following a road win.

Total Points Facts

• Each of Rider’s last six night games against non-AP-ranked opponents at Alumni Gymnasium have produced a total of 140 or fewer points.
• Seven of Canisius’ last nine road games have produced a total of 143+ points.

Canisius vs. Rider Prediction

I’m on the Broncs in this game. I think this is a great revenge spot for Rider here, as the Broncs have been likely waiting for a chance at revenge after being humiliated by Canisius in the first meeting, losing by 18 points as one of just three teams that Canisius has beaten this entire season. Rider is still a decent option and I think in this matchup, the Broncs are the lesser of two evils here. Give me Rider laying the points at home in this one.

Chris Ruffolo's Pick: Rider -7.5