Howard (4-6) vs UNC Wilmington (7-2)
Game Info: Saturday, December 14, 2024 at 3:00 pm (Burr Arena)
The Line: Betting Odds: Howard +4.5 / UNC Wilmington -4.5 — Over/Under: 144
The UNC Wilmington Seahawks and the Howard Bison meet Saturday in college basketball action from Burr Gymnasium. Here’s a UNC Wilmington vs Howard prediction. We will look at this from a betting perspective and determine the best UNC Wilmington vs Howard pick. We will examine:
The UNC Wilmington Seahawks’ recent form and player performance
The Howard Bison’s recent form and player performance
Recent betting trends and streaks involving the UNC Wilmington Seahawks
Recent betting trends and streaks involving the Howard Bison
Recent betting trends in games played between UNC Wilmington and Howard
A summary that ties it all together and produces a favorable betting outcome for the UNC Wilmington vs Howard game
UNC Wilmington Seahawks Betting Preview
The Seahawks got off to a nice start this year with wins in their first three games, then fell to Kansas and Colgate in the next pair. Since then it’s been four wins over Sam Houston, Appalachian State, East Carolina, and Marshall, though.
In the Marshall game last Saturday, the Seahawks held a 10-point edge by halftime. UNC Wilmington finished with 34 more points in a 78-69 win. Mikal Dawson was the team’s top scorer with 12 points and two steals.
Howard Bison Betting Preview
Over on the Howard side, they lost their first pair before rattling off wins over Dillard, Tennessee State, and FIU. The Bison would lose to Boston U, UMBC, Mount St. Mary’s, and Cincinnati in the next four outings.
Howard got back into the win column on Wednesday versus Virginia-Lynchburg. After scoring 54 points in the first half, the Bison finished off with 70 more in the second for a 124-50 blowout result. Blake Harper tripled up with 30 points, 13 rebounds, and 10 assists in the big win.
Why the Howard Bison will win
- Howard has won five of its last six games at Burr Gymnasium against non-AP-ranked opponents.
- North Carolina-Wilmington has lost the first half in three of its last four road games.
Why the North Carolina-Wilmington Seahawks will win
- North Carolina-Wilmington has won seven of its last eight games against non-AP-ranked opponents.
- Howard has lost seven of its last eight day games against non-conference opponents.
- Howard has lost the first half in each of its last four games against non-conference opponents at Burr Gymnasium.
UNC Wilmington vs Howard Prediction
I’ll likely just stay with UNC Wilmington. The Seahawks looked pretty good against a middling Marshall team in their last outing despite going just 4-of-17 (23.5 percent) from 3-point range and coughing up 13 turnovers. UNC Wilmington is on a nice run defensively during this four-game win streak; they’ve given up fewer than 70 points in each outing.
As for Howard, they got a much-needed blowout win over VA-Lynchburg in their last game. The Bison pulled down a whopping 70 rebounds and tallied 34 team assists in the rout. Prior to that Howard had given up 79 or more points in three straight games, however, so UNCW should have some opportunities here.