The NJIT Highlanders challenge the Columbia Lions in the fourth round of the CIT tournament at Francis S. Levien Gymnasium. The game begins at 6:00 pm ET on Sunday, Mar. 27 and can be seen on CCS.
The Lions come into this game on a high note after barely hanging on to beat Ball State 69-67 in the 3. Alex Rosenberg was the game’s high scorer with 18 points on 3-for-10 shooting. The Highlanders, meanwhile, are coming off a 63-60 win against UT Arlington in the 3. Rob Ukawuba had a good game, recording 10 points, five rebounds, and two assists.
Baskets could be hard to come by as Columbia ranks 19th in the nation, allowing just 102.8 points per 100 possessions, while NJIT is 20th (104.6). Also, the Highlanders commit the 18th-fewest errors in the nation (TO% of 18.4%), while the gambling defense of the Lions causes the sixth-most (opponents’ TO% of 19.8%).
The Lions have won both games against the Highlanders this season, including a close 69-67 victory in their last matchup. Rosenberg was the game’s top overall scorer with 18 points.
The Lions come into this game 23-10 Straight Up (SU) and 11-12-1 Against The Spread (ATS). In their last 10 games, they are 3-1 ATS. The Lions, sporting the 37th-best assist-to-turnover ratio in Division I (1.38), have proven themselves to be an extremely efficient offensive team. As for the Columbia defense, teams have to fight for open shots against the Lions, who have one of the best opponent field-goal percentages in the country at .439.
As for their opponent, the Highlanders have a record of 7-3 ATS and 20-14 SU. NJIT is one of the top foul-shooting teams in the nation, converting .739 of their shots from the line. Switching gears to the NJIT defense, teams seem to consistently miss shots against the Highlanders, who are the 22nd-best team in the nation in terms of opponent field goal percentage allowed at .437.
Following the Lions’ latest win over the Highlanders, their SU record is now 4-0 over NJIT.
Predictions: SU Winner – Colum, ATS Winner – Colum
Notes
“The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Columbia’s last 5 games “.
“Columbia is 13-2 SU in its last 15 games at home”.
In its last game, NJIT won by a margin of three points. Columbia is 4-4 in games decided by a margin of three points or less. NJIT has a 3-3 record in close games.
The Columbia Lions have a defensive rating of 102.8 (ranked 19th), while the NJIT Highlanders have an offensive rating of 106.8 (ranked 152nd).
The Columbia Lions average a field goal percentage of 45.3% this season. The NJIT Highlanders have an underachieving record of 4-10 when opponents have a FG% of 45.3% or greater.
The Columbia Lions and the NJIT Highlanders both rank higher in average effective field goal percentage when compared to their field goal percentages. Columbia is 107th and 36th in the nation for FG% and eFG% respectively, while NJIT is 144th and 88th in these categories.
Columbia ranks 87th in assists, recording 14.2 per game. NJIT ranks 32nd with 16.0 assists per game.
NJIT makes an average of 6.6 steals per game. Columbia has an outstanding 6-2 record when it allows at least 6 steals.
