Teams looking to leave England with at least one win meet on Saturday morning when the Manhattan Jaspers battle the Army Black Knights in the consolation game of the 2022 London Basketball Classic. The Jaspers (1-3), who tied for seventh in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference at 8-12 and were 15-15 a year ago, are coming off a 69-67 loss to Northeastern on Thursday. The Black Knights (2-4), who finished fifth in the Patriot League at 9-9 and 15-16 overall in 2021-22, dropped a 74-66 decision to Princeton in the semifinal. This will be the first meeting between the teams since 1999-2000.
Tip-off from Copper Box Arena in London is set for 9:30 a.m. ET. Army leads the all-time series 44-27. The Black Knights are a 2.5-point favorite in the latest Manhattan vs. Army odds from Caesars Sportsbook, while the over/under for total points scored is set at 144.5. Before making any Army vs. Manhattan picks, be sure to see the college basketball predictions and betting advice from SportsLine's proven computer model.
The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every Division I college basketball game 10,000 times. Over the past six years, the proprietary computer model has generated an impressive profit of more than $1,400 for $100 players on its top-rated college basketball picks against the spread.
Now, the model has set its sights on Army vs. Manhattan and just locked in its picks and CBB predictions. You can see the pick at SportsLine. Here are the college basketball odds and betting lines for Manhattan vs. Army:
- Army vs. Manhattan spread: Army -2.5
- Army vs. Manhattan over/under: 144.5
- Army vs. Manhattan picks: See picks at SportsLine
Why Army can cover
Senior forward Chris Mann powers the Black Knights, averaging 17.5 points, five rebounds and 1.5 assists per game. In the loss to Princeton, Mann scored 19 points and grabbed seven rebounds. His best game so far was a 23-point performance in a 90-75 loss to Radford. He is connecting on 58.1% of his shots from the floor, including 36.8% from 3-point range. Mann is third in the Patriot League in scoring and has reached at least 15 points in every game this season.
Junior guard Jalen Rucker has reached double figures in all six games for the Black Knights. He scored 15 points in Thursday's loss to Princeton and had a season-high 21 in an 82-77 loss against Stonehill on Nov. 12. For the season, he is averaging 15 points, five rebounds, 2.2 assists and one steal per game. Last year in 31 games played, Rucker averaged 17.1 points, 3.8 rebounds and 3.1 assists.
Why Manhattan can cover
Senior forward Josh Roberts leads the Jaspers, averaging nearly a double-double. He averages 15.5 points and 9.8 rebounds to go along with 2.8 blocks and one assist per game. Roberts had a monster game in the loss to Northeastern, scoring 19 points, grabbing 17 rebounds and blocking three shots. Last season, his first year with the program, he averaged 8.9 points and 6.5 rebounds, seeing action in 30 games with 20 starts.
Senior guard Elijah Buchanan also helps power Manhattan. He averages 14.3 points, 6.5 rebounds, 2.3 assists and one steal per game. He has three blocks on the year, and is connecting on 44.4% of his field goals, including 47.1% from 3-point range. He was limited to a season-low nine points in the loss to Northeastern, after having scored 16 points in each of the previous three games. For his career, he is averaging 7.1 points and 3.7 rebounds per game and has started 84 of the 116 games he has played in as a Jasper.
How to make Manhattan vs. Army picks
SportsLine's model is leaning Over on the total, projecting 145 combined points. The model also says one side of the spread hits well over 50% of the time. You can see the picks here.
So who wins Army vs. Manhattan? And which side of the spread hits well over 50% of the time? Visit SportsLine now to find out which side of the spread you need to jump on, all from the model that has crushed its college basketball picks, and find out.
