Rhode Island (14-6) vs Massachusetts (9-11)
January 29, 2025 at 07:00 PM EST
The Line: Betting Odds: Rhode Island -5.5 — Over/Under: 156.5
The UMass Minutemen and the Rhode Island Rams meet Wednesday in college basketball action from Ryan Center. Here’s a UMass vs Rhode Island prediction. We will look at this from a betting perspective and determine the best UMass vs Rhode Island pick. We will examine:
The UMass Minutemen’s recent form and player performance
The Rhode Island Rams’ recent form and player performance
Recent betting trends and streaks involving the UMass Minutemen
Recent betting trends and streaks involving the Rhode Island Rams
Recent betting trends in games played between UMass and Rhode Island
A summary that ties it all together and produces a favorable betting outcome for the UMass vs Rhode Island game
UMass Minutemen Betting Preview
The Minutemen have only a couple of instances of solid play stretches so far this year, but to their credit, they’ve been better lately. UMass opened on a rough 3-7 run through their first 10 games of the year, falling to West Virginia, LA Tech, Hofstra, Temple, Florida State, Central Connecticut and UMass Lowell with wins otherwise versus only New Hampshire, Harvard and NJIT. After wins over Massachusetts-Boston and Northeastern, the Minutemen hit a 1-4 stretch. Those losses came versus Arizona State, Saint Joseph’s, Richmond, and George Mason (with a win over Dayton). Since then however, UMass has been able to notch three straight wins over Fordham, La Salle, and George Washington, giving them a 9-11 overall record so far.
In the George Washington game last Wednesday, UMass posted a 36-29 advantage by halftime. The Minutemen kept it up from there on a 38-32 stretch and won 74-61 in the end. Leading the team in scoring was Jaylen Curry (six assists; four rebounds) and Rahsool Diggins (four steals; four rebounds) with 19 points apiece. Daniel Hankins-Sanford came off the bench for 10 points as well.
Rhode Island Rams Betting Preview
Over on the Rhode Island side, they were in good shape over their first 12 games or so, but since late December they’ve been struggling a bit in the win column. The Rams took out Fairfield, Holy Cross, Franklin Pierce, Lafayette, Charleston, Detroit, Texas Arlington, Yale, Providence, Central Connecticut, and Temple (with a loss to Brown) during an 11-1 start. Rhode Island has since gone just 3-5, though. The wins in that time have come versus George Mason, Richmond, and Davidson. Otherwise, it’s been losses versus Duquesne, George Washington, Loyola Chicago, VCU, and La Salle, giving the Rams a 14-6 overall record this year so far.
Matched up against La Salle in their Saturday outing, Rhode Island held a 33-31 deficit going into the second half. The Rams were outscored 37-33 the rest of the way, resulting in a 70-64 defeat in the end. Tops in scoring were Jaden House (seven rebounds) and Sebastian Thomas (three rebounds; four assists), each with 16 points. Also in double-figures during the loss was Jamarques Lawrence with 14 points, four turnovers, and two rebounds in 33 minutes.
Why the Rhode Island Rams will win
- Rhode Island has won 10 of its last 12 games at Thomas M. Ryan Center against non-AP-ranked opponents.
Why the Massachusetts Minutemen will win
- Massachusetts has won each of its last seven night games against Conference opponents.
- Rhode Island has lost each of its last four home night games against the Atlantic 10 Conference.
- Rhode Island has lost the first half in five of its last six night games against the Atlantic 10 Conference.
UMass vs Rhode Island Prediction
I’ll probably stay with Rhode Island. The Rams need to recover from a rough loss to a middling La Salle team in their last game, though. Rhode Island shot just 34.5 percent from the field in that one with 17-of-25 (68 percent) from the line and 15 turnovers. The rebounding was solid (a 42-39 advantage) but that’s about it as far as positives. Rhode Island has now scored just 121 combined points over their last two games (both losses) and they’ve lost three of the last four. The good news is that this is a winnable matchup and could help the team get back on track.
That said, UMass likely won’t go quietly. The Minutemen have won three straight themselves, and three of the last four overall. The Minutemen have 70 or more points in all five of those games, so the Rams will need a good offensive push in this one.