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The UMass Minutemen will play the Colorado Buffaloes on Thursday afternoon. These two schools meet in the Myrtle Beach Invitational in South Carolina. So far, Colorado has gone 2-1, recently upsetting Tennessee 78-66 in a game where they were 16-point underdogs. For UMass they're now 1-1 after a disappointing loss to Towson previously. For this early season tournament, the winner will go on to face either Texas A&M or Murray State tomorrow.
UMass Minutemen vs. Colorado Buffaloes Betting Odds
Odds Courtesy of Caesars Sportsbook
UMass Minutemen vs. Colorado Buffaloes Match Details
Fixture: UMass Minutemen vs. Colorado Buffaloes
Date & Time: Thursday, November 17, 1:30 p.m. EDT
Venue: HTC Center, Myrtle Beach, SC
UMass Minutemen vs. Colorado Buffaloes Key Stats
UMass currently has three players averaging double digits, two of which are transfers who were brought in to help this Minutemen squad that went 15-17 last year. Isaac Kante, who transferred from Long Island, and Matt Cross, who was previously at Louisville, both scored 13 in Thursday's loss, but there are other players that will look to step up today. Noah Fernandes, who was UMass' leading scorer a year ago, has gotten off to a slow start, but he'll get a lot of looks as he's locked into the starting point guard role. Wing Reggie Luis has shot poorly so far, but his usage is there, too, so keep an eye on these players against Colorado this afternoon. The Minutemen had a poor offensive showing on Thursday to a team they were expected to beat, so they'll be eager to bounce back after almost a full week of rest.
Colorado's K.J. Simpson is averaging 17.7 points and 5.3 rebounds through three games, and he's already shown he's ready to take on a larger role. Last year Simpson averaged just 7.4 points over 21.3 minutes of action, but look for him and fellow guard Nique Clifford to have solid seasons. Wing J'Vonne Hadley is another name to look out for, as the junior transfer from Northeastern averages 11.0 points and 8.7 boards in the early going. The Buffaloes still have Tristan da Silva too, who was a big part of Colorado's success during the 2021-22 season. The Buffaloes will look to carry the momentum from Sunday's huge upset into today's contest.
UMass Minutemen vs. Colorado Buffaloes Betting Prediction
Neutral site games can allow teams to play more freely, and we saw that from Colorado as they dropped 78 on Tennessee, who were ranked #11 at the time. Going back to last year, the total has gone over now in 12 of the Buffaloes' last 14, including all three games this season. For UMass, the over has hit in eight of their previous nine neutral site games, so expect a high-scoring contest today.
After knocking off #11 Tennessee, Colorado could have a letdown game here, but with UMass' poor defensive showing last week, expect the Buffaloes to win, cover, and advance to the next round.
Prediction: Colorado -5 (-110) & Over 148.5 (-110)
