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The Hartford Hawks have made one appearance in the America East championship game since joining the conference in 1985, losing to UMBC in 2008. They were slated to have their second shot at the title last year, but their contest against Vermont was scrapped due to the coronavirus pandemic. Fourth-seeded Hartford will get that opportunity on Saturday as it hosts the sixth-seeded UMass Lowell River Hawks in the 2021 America East Conference championship game. The Hawks (14-8, 8-6) knocked off No. 2 Vermont in the semifinals last Saturday, while UMass Lowell (11-11, 7-8) earned a spot in the final by upsetting top-seeded UMBC.

Tip-off from Chase Arena in West Hartford, Conn. is set for 11 a.m. ET. Hartford is a three-point favorite in the latest Hartford vs. UMass Lowell odds at William Hill Sportsbook, while the over-under for total points scored is 135.5. Before locking in any UMass Lowell vs. Hartford picks, be sure to see the college basketball predictions and betting advice from SportsLine's proven model.

The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every Division I college basketball game 10,000 times. Over the past four-plus years, the proprietary computer model has generated an impressive profit of over $2,600 for $100 players on its top-rated college basketball picks against the spread. It has also returned over $400 on all top-rated college basketball picks this season. Anyone who has followed it has seen huge returns.

Now, the model has set its sights on Hartford vs. UMass Lowell in the America East Tournament 2021. You can head to SportsLine to see its picks. Here are several college basketball odds and trends for UMass Lowell vs. Hartford:

  • Hartford vs. UMass Lowell spread: Hartford -3
  • Hartford vs. UMass Lowell over-under: 135.5
  • HAR: 12-9-1 ATS this season
  • UML: 14-8 ATS this season

Why Hartford can cover 

The Hawks were at their finest in last week's 71-65 triumph at Vermont, shooting a season-best 62.8 percent from the field - including 68.4 percent in the second half. They also were strong from beyond the arc, hitting 10 of their 19 3-point attempts. Senior guards Austin Williams and Traci Carter were instrumental in the victory, becoming the first pair of players to hit the 20-point plateau in the same game this season.

Williams led the way with 25 points in 9-of-12 shooting and fell one rebound shy of his fourth double-double of the campaign. He was 4-for-6 overall from beyond the arc and recorded 18 of Hartford's 33 first-half points. Carter did most of his damage after halftime, scoring 16 points to finish with 22 on 8-of-11 shooting.

Why UMass Lowell can cover

The River Hawks also were paced by a pair of 20-point performers last Saturday as they overcame a rough first half to post a 79-77 comeback victory over the Retrievers. Sophomore forward Connor Withers recorded a career-high 28 points after going 9-for-13 from 3-point range and senior guard Obadiah Noel added 22 on 7-of-13 shooting from the field. Withers is second on the team in scoring (11.5 points) but leads it in both rebounds (5.9) and blocks (1.1).

Noel is the River Hawks' leading scorer (20.6 points) and also tops them with an average of 1.2 steals while ranking second in rebounds (4.3). UMass Lowell also got 10 points off the bench last Saturday from Kalil Thomas, marking the ninth time in 11 games the sophomore guard scored in double figures. Max Brooks was the unsung hero for the River Hawks in the semifinals as the freshman forward blocked a pair of shots in the final 10 seconds to secure the win. 

How to make UMass Lowell vs. Hartford picks

The model is leaning over on the total, projecting the teams to combine for 139 points. It also says one side of the spread hits well over 50 percent of the time. You can only see the pick at SportsLine.

So who wins UMass Lowell vs. Hartford? And which side of the spread hits well over 50 percent of the time? Visit SportsLine right now to see which side of the spread you need to jump on, all from the computer model that has crushed its college basketball picks.