Niagara Purple Eagles vs Rider Broncs Matchup

Read on to get betting odds and analysis in our Rider vs Niagara NCAA Basketball prediction and preview and see who we think will win and cover the spread in Niagara Falls.

Rider vs Niagara Prediction

The Broncs and Purple Eagles are set to face off at 12:00 ET on ESPN+. The Purple Eagles will host the game at Gallagher Center in Niagara Falls, NY. This Metro Atlantic Athletic conference matchup has an over/under of 135.5 points, and Niagara is favored to win by -6.5 at home vs. Rider.

Rider vs. Niagara Matchup At A Glance

Sport: NCAAB
Teams: Rider Broncs at Niagara Purple Eagles
Where: Niagara Falls at Gallagher Center
Date: Sunday, January 12th
Betting Odds NIAGRA -6.5, RIDER +222 | NIAGRA -280 O/U 135.5

Broncs Preview: Can the Broncs Lock in a Road Win?

Rider's season continued to be a struggle as they fell to 4-11 after an 85-67 road loss to Canisius on Friday. The Broncs were -2.5 favorites going into the game but failed to cover the spread. The total points of 152 exceeded the O/U line of 138.5.

Rider trailed 39-28 at halftime and couldn’t turn things around in the 2nd half, where they scored 39 points but allowed 46.

Broncs Offense Breakdown

In their last game, the Rider Broncs scored 67 points, shooting 44.1% from the field with an effective field goal percentage of 47.5%. They hit 53.8% of their two-point attempts, but struggled from beyond the arc, connecting on just 25% of their threes (5/20). At the free-throw line, they shot 71.4%, making 10 of 14 attempts.

Paul McMillan IV led the way with 30 points, shooting 70.6% overall and hitting all 4 of his three-point attempts. He also contributed 7 rebounds and 5 assists. Zion Cruz added 23 points, while Tariq Ingraham was efficient, shooting 77.8% from the field. The Broncs finished with 12 offensive rebounds and 9 assists as a team.

Broncs Team Defense

Rider's defense struggled in their last game, giving up 85 points on 62% shooting from the field. They allowed 33 made field goals on 53 attempts.

From three-point range, Rider's opponents hit 13/22 shots, good for 59%. They also sent them to the line 7 times, where they made 6 free throws.

Purple Eagles Preview: Does Niagara Have a Shot at a Home Win?

Niagara Purple Eagles Recent Game/Games

Niagara improved to 6-8 on the season with a 70-60 home win over Saint Peter's on Friday, January 10th. The Purple Eagles, who were -1.5 favorites, covered the spread in the victory.

Niagara led 32-25 at halftime and scored 38 points in the 2nd half while allowing 35. The total points for the game were 130, just over the O/U line of 127.5.

Purple Eagles Offense Breakdown

Niagara's offense was clicking in their last game, shooting 53.3% from the field and 42.9% from three-point range, with an effective field goal percentage of 62.2%. They hit 15 of 24 two-point attempts (62.5%) and went 9 for 21 from beyond the arc.

Olumide Adelodun and Jaeden Marshall each hit 3 threes, shooting 50% from deep, with Adelodun scoring 19 points and Marshall adding 17. Armoni Zeigler contributed 13 points, shooting 83.3% from the field.

Purple Eagles Team Defense

Niagara's defense gave up 60 points while allowing the opponent to shoot 53% from the field, including 62% on two-point attempts (15/24). The Purple Eagles also allowed 9 threes on 21 attempts, a 42% shooting rate from beyond the arc.

From the free-throw line, Niagara's opponent shot 59%, connecting on 13 of 22 attempts. The Purple Eagles gave up 7 offensive rebounds in the game.

Broncs vs Purple Eagles Betting Odds, Trends & Analysis

When looking at their past ten road matchups, Rider has an ATS record of 4-6 while averaging 65 per game. The team went 4-6 overall in these games.
Across their five previous home games, Niagara has an ATS mark of 2-3. Their straight up record in these matchups was 1-4 while averaging 59 points per game.
As the betting underdog, the Broncs have an ATS mark of just 0-3 in their last three games. Rider posted a straight up mark of 0-3 in these matchups.
Through their last three games as the favorite, the Purple Eagles have an ATS record of 2-1 and a straight up mark of 3-0.