New Hampshire Wildcats vs Rider Broncs Prediction, Odds, Best Bets - Week 1

New Hampshire won a grind at Brown with defense and late free throws. Rider scored 57 points at Pittsburgh and now comes home still looking for its first good half of the season.

The Matchup

New Hampshire visits Rider on Thursday night at Alumni Gymnasium in Lawrenceville, with Rider a 1.5-point favorite, a total of 141.5, on ESPN+. Both teams have played once, and the two openers explain why this line is close to a coin flip.

New Hampshire won 59-55 at Brown, a road win built on defense. Rider lost 95-57 at Pittsburgh and never found an offense. Last season New Hampshire finished 9-21, scoring 69.2 points a game and allowing 74.6. Rider finished 4-25, scoring 63.4 and allowing 76.0. What carries over is the shape: neither program scored easily last year, and neither scored easily on opening night either.

Key Factors

New Hampshire has the steadier guard play. Myles Blackley scored 15 points with 7 rebounds at Brown, and Tyler Bike added 13 points and 4 assists, getting to the line and making 5 of 6 free throws. When the Wildcats needed a basket late, the ball was in a guard's hands and something organized happened. Josiah Coleman then closed the game at the stripe, making 7 of 8 free throws without taking a field goal attempt.

Rider's problem is that nobody could score at all. Bryce Baker led the Broncs with 11 points at Pittsburgh, and Ty Bevins managed 1 point on 0-of-8 shooting, missing all 6 of his three-point tries. A team that scores 57 points and allows 95 has two problems, and the offensive one is harder to fix in three days, because it is about who creates a shot when the set breaks down. Rider does not have that player yet, at least not one it has shown.

The counterpoint is real and it is the building. New Hampshire scored only 59 points itself, against a Brown team that is nobody's idea of a defensive power, and the Wildcats scored 69.2 a game last season for a reason.

If Rider's guards shoot anything like their normal level at home and the Broncs turn this into a half-court game, New Hampshire's thin offense can stall for long stretches. The bet is that a team fresh off scoring 57 should not be laying points to a team that just won on the road, even a small number of points.

Every pick is published with its line before the game. Odds via consensus sportsbooks at time of writing and move constantly. Must be 21+. If gambling is a problem, call or text 1-800-GAMBLER.