UMass Lowell at NC State 12/3/20 - College Basketball Picks & Predictions

UMass Lowell will head to Mohegan Sun Arena with the intent of picking up an upset win over NC State. UMass Lowell has dropped back to back games, the most recent over a capable Big Ten foe being the Ohio State Buckeyes. The Riverhawks hung tight but lost 74-64 and dropped to 1-2 on the year. NC State has dominated their opening two games, winning the most recent over North Flordia 86-51.

NC State is averaging 90.5 points per game this season behind a balanced scoring attack, with four players averaging double figures. Leading the way is lengthy guard Devon Daniels who is averaging a team-high 18 points and pulling down 6.5 rebounds per game. He’s also averaging 3.5 assists per game. 

Freshman point guard Cam Hayes has been great off the bench this season dishing out a team-high 5 assists and has just a single turnover through two games. He’s averaging 8.5 points per game in just 18.5 minutes. The blowout wins have enabled NC State to get almost everyone on the floor with 14 players scoring in the opening two games.

UMass Lowell has been a solid offensive team despite the 1-2 record and is averaging 70.7 points per game which rank 166th in the country. Senior guard Obadiah Noel has carried the team to those numbers, he’s averaging team-highs in points (24), rebounds (6.7), and assists (3.7) per game.

Only one other player is averaging double figures for the Riverhawks, that being sophomore Connor Withers. WIthers started in 27 games as a freshman last season; he was named to the AEC all-conference team after averaging 9.2 points. He will need to take a step forward in the 2020-2021 season for UMass Lowell. He’s shooting the ball much better this season, specifically from three, shooting 33% from beyond the arc after shooting just 26.8% last season. 

UMass Lowell is allowing 74.7 points power game which ranks 179th in scoring defense but the Riverhawks rank 268th in KenPom adjusted defense through their three games. NC State has dominated their inferior opponents allowing just 56 points per game and ranking 24th in the country in scoring defense, they rank 53rd in KenPom adjusted defense.