Merrimack (12-10) vs Niagara (8-13)
February 6, 2025 at 07:00 PM EST
The Line: Betting Odds: Merrimack -7.5 — Over/Under: 127.5
The Niagara Purple Eagles and the Merrimack Warriors meet Thursday in college basketball action from the Hammel Court. We will look at this from a betting perspective and determine the best bets for this game. Here’s a Niagara vs. Merrimack prediction.
Niagara Recap
The Niagara Purple Eagles come into this game looking to build on a 64-63 win over Canisius last time out to improve to 8-13 on the year. After this game, Niagara will head on the road once again to take on Quinnipiac.
Purple Eagles Looking To Build Some Steam
Olumide Adelodun has a team-high 10.3 PPG and 5.3 RPG to lead the Purple Eagles in scoring and rebounding so far this season while Justice Smith has 10.1 PPG with 3.8 RPG and a team-high 2.2 APG to lead Niagara in assists so far this season. Jaeden Marshall has 10.3 PPG and 3.1 RPG to cap off the trio of double-digit scorers for Niagara so far this season. Jahari Williamson also has 9.8 PPG while Jhaylon Martinez has 6.7 PPG with 5.1 RPG. Zion Russell also has 7.3 PPG with 2.4 RPG and 2 APG as well this season. As a team, Niagara is averaging 67.9 PPG on 45% shooting from the field, 34.9% from three, and 73.1% from the foul line this season.
Why the Niagara Purple Eagles will win
- The road team has won each of Merrimack’s last four games.
Merrimack Recap
The Merrimack Warriors come into this game looking to build on their 66-64 win over Rider last time out to improve to 12-10 on the year. After this game, Merrimack will welcome Canisius to town.
Warriors Win 7 Of Last 9
Adam Clark leads Merrimack in scoring and assists with 19.2 PPG and 6 APG along with 2.3 SPG and 4.2 RPG while Matt Becht has 10 PPG as the only other double-digit scorer for Merrimack so far this season. Devon Savage has 9.6 PPG with 3.1 RPG while Sean Trumper has 7.9 PPG with a team-high 6 RPG to lead the Warriors on the glass. Bryan Etumnu also has 7.6 PPG with 5.4 RPG as well on the year. As a team, Merrimack is averaging 64.3 PPG on 42.2% shooting from the field, 34% from three, and 73.3% from the foul line this season.
Why the Merrimack Warriors will win
- Merrimack has won 11 of its last 12 games at Hammel Court.
- Niagara has lost five of its last six games.
Total Points Facts
- Nine of Niagara’s last 10 games against Conference opponents have produced a total of 130+ points.
- Each of Merrimack’s last three night games against non-AP-ranked opponents at Hammel Court has produced a total of 131+ points.
Niagara vs. Merrimack Prediction
I’m on Merrimack in this game. I really think that Merrimack is one of the teams to beat in the MAAC this season, and Niagara just hasn’t been the same cover team on the road that they were last season. Merrimack has one of the best, if not the best player in the conference in Adam Clark, and this Merrimack defense is legit in conference play. The MAAC for me has been a conference that I associate with close, low-scoring games, but I don’t think this game is going to end up being all that close. I think Merrimack gets the job done at home, so I’ll lay the points with the Warriors for the home win and cover in this one.