All season long, the UMass Lowell River Hawks and Vermont Catamounts have been the class of the America East. They will face off on Saturday morning in Vermont for the America East title, and the right to represent the conference in the NCAA Tournament. Here, we make our college basketball betting picks for a UMass Lowell vs Vermont game that could be one of the best of conference championship Saturday.
UMass Lowell vs Vermont Betting Pick
| ℹ️ The Pick: | Vermont -5 |
| ? Recommended Sportsbook Promo: | Bet $5 and Win $150 at DraftKings |
| ? Promo Code: | None Needed – Click the link to activate |
This game will be played at Patrick Gymnasium at 11:00 AM ET on Saturday, March 11, 2023.
Why Bet on Vermont:
✅ Vermont has won 14 games in a row coming into the America East final. Their last loss did come on the road to this UMass Lowell team, but that was a road game, and Vermont handled Lowell easily in Burlington already in the regular season.
✅ This season, the Vermont Catamounts have gone 14-1 at home. Their lone loss at Patrick Gym came against a Toledo team that is the class of the MAC this season, and one of the best offensive teams in all of college basketball. Against a Lowell team that is not that Toledo squad, Vermont will finish a perfect conference season at home.
✅ UMass Lowell, meanwhile, were home court merchants this season. They went a perfect 17-0 at home this year, but just 9-7 on the road.
Gambling Problem? Call or TEXT 1-800-Gambler 21+
UMass Lowell River Hawks: Searching For First America East Title
On Saturday morning, the UMass Lowell River Hawks will hope to claim their first America East conference title, and their first conference title as a Division I basketball program. They finished second in the America East standings this season, and split their regular season series against Vermont this year. But there are some questions about whether this team can get the job done on the road against a quality opponent.
This season, the River Hawks had the 362nd ranked non-conference strength of schedule according to Kenpom, the second worst among Division I teams. That artificially inflated their record, which ended up at 26-7 on the season. But the River Hawks are not as impressive as that number looks going into this UMass Lowell vs Vermont championship game.
For Lowell to win this contest, they are going to need to find a way to slow down Vermont at Patrick Gym. The Catamounts have averaged 79.5 points per game at home against conference opponents, 6.4 points higher than their season average. Lowell has to dig in to avoid giving another huge number up to the Catamounts.
Vermont Catamounts: An America East Institution
The Vermont Catamounts have won eight America East Tournament titles, the most of any team in league history. They have won three of the last five tournament championships, and will look to make it four out of six with a win over the UMass Lowell River Hawks on Saturday morning. To do that, the Catamounts have to simply take care of business at home one last time.
In their previous meeting in Vermont this season, Vermont shot 63.3% from the field and 60.9% from three-point range against Lowell. Those numbers may not be able to be replicated in this contest, but Vermont is certainly capable of putting up another big number to go back to the NCAA Tournament.
In the last 10 editions of the America East Tournament, the Catamounts have been the home team for five America East championship games. They have gone 3-2 in those contests, but those teams that lost were either not as good as this year’s team, or they ran into the UMBC team that went on to upset Virginia in the 2018 NCAA Tournament.
