Eastern Washington vs Montana State Prediction and Preview
SportsMemo handicapper JM Sports gives his Eastern Washington vs Montana State prediction in the Big Sky Conference. At the time of posting, the Bobcats have opened as a 2-point road favorite over the home Eagles, with the total sitting at 145.5 points.
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Thursday, February 17 | Big Sky Conference Betting Notes |
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Point Spread: | Eastern Washington Eagles +2 vs Montana State Bobcats |
Total: | 145.5 Points |
Game Time: | 9:00pm ET / 6:00pm PT |
Arena: | Reese Court in Cheney, WA |
TV: | ESPN+ |
Eastern Washington vs Montana State Analysis
Montana State (20-5) heads to Eastern Washington (13-12) to take on the Eagles on their home court. Montana State has already proven once this season that they have what it take takes to bring down this Eastern Washington team, just as they have proven against the entirety of the conference this season.
Montana State holds the top position in the Big Sky conference and they continue to inch closer and closer to clinching the automatic bid into March Madness with the conference title.
Montana State puts their 12-2 conference record on the line, as well as their 11 game win streak against the 6th best team in the Big Sky conference, an Eastern Washington team that is exactly .500 in conference play.
Bobcats Have Banked on Easy Schedule
Montana State has played one of the easier schedules in division 1 ball so far this season, coming in with the 334th hardest schedule in the nation, but they have put together a team that ranks in the top-150 overall according to KenPom, behind an offense that is 43rd in the country in effective FG% and the 13th best team in 3PT shooting percentage.
Not only can this Montana State team put up an impressive shooting percentage from deep, they have been a consistently impressive shooting team overall all year.
On the season, Montana State is shooting over 47%, stemming from a 49.7% FG% on the road and connecting on half of their shots in their last five games.
This offense has shot 51% or better in three of their last four games, which has helped them continue the 11 game win streak, the 4th longest active win streak in the nation. They have also cashed in on 16 of the last 17 games that they have played, which includes seven straight wins on the road.
Not only has this team shot almost 50% on the road, but the team is putting up almost 79 PPG, while they are allowing 72 PPG to the opposition, covering an average line of (-1.5) for an 8-4 record away from home and posting an 8-3-1 record against the spread in those 12 games.
While they have played the easier schedule, Montana State has dominated that schedule and they are outscoring conference opponents by almost eight PPG, getting the job done when necessary and making an impressive push as we near the end of the regular season.
Eagles Have Owned Bobcats in Recent History
Eastern Washington is 13-12 on the season, keeping themselves above that .500 benchmark, but not by much.
Even though this team’s record doesn’t lend itself to a mind-boggling season, the Eagles have outscored their opponents by just under three PPG, but they have found themselves as a four point underdog on average in their games this season, putting up almost 77 PPG, while allowing just under 74 PPG to the opponents.
They have played the more difficult schedule on the season, and their record shows the difference. Eastern Washington has struggled in conference play, sitting at 7-7 against the Big Sky opponents, they have managed to put up 76 PPG against conference foes but they put up just 65 points in the previous match-up against Montana State, a sub-par performance in comparison to the rest of their season.
They have won back-to-back games for just the 5th time this season, yet they have yet to cash in on a 3rd straight game all year, and while they have won two straight, they are just 2-4 straight up in the last six games overall.
Eastern Washington has held the advantage over Montana State in recent memory, even with the loss earlier this season, the Eagles have covered all six games against Montana State in the last three years, winning five out of those six games, with the only loss coming less then a month ago.
When these teams have faced off on Eastern Washington’s court, the Eagles are 17-5 straight up all the way back to 1997!
If this Eastern Washington team is going to pull of the win and continue the head-to-head dominance of Montana State, they are going to have to utilize their 3PT shooting.
They are the 70th best team in shooting percentage from deep, and they need to capitalize on the distinctive height advantage that they hold.
On one side of the spectrum, Eastern Washington is 12-2 against the spread following a game that they failed to cover the spread in the last two seasons, and not only have they covered 12 of those 14 games, but they have obliterated their opponents in those games, putting up over 82 PPG and winning by almost 13.5 PPG in those 14 games!
Yet, on the other end of the spectrum, this team has struggled immensely against top tier opponents, winning just two of their 14 games this season against teams that rank in the top-250 overall, losing those games by over seven PPG on average!
Eastern Washington vs Montana State Prediction
Eastern Washington has held the head-to-head advantage against Montana State, but this is the first time that Montana State has sat ahead of Eastern Washington in the conference standings.
Eastern Washington is 7-7 in conference play this season, yet in the previous 2 seasons, the Eagles lost a total of 7 conference games combined, posting a 28-7 record back to the start of the 2019-2020 season.
While Montana State has lost just five games all season this year, losing just two games against the Big Sky, but in the past three seasons, this Montana State team lost at least six conference games in all three seasons.
While the trends may point to Eastern Washington in this match-up, the cards are in a different hand this season, with Montana State having a noticeably more impressive season for the first time in multiple years over the Eastern Washington Eagles.
They have played the easier schedule, but they hold a distinct advantage against common opponents and in conference play. Montana State may have played the easier schedule, but Eastern Washington has failed to cash in on 86% of their games against top-250 teams, the harder opponents in their schedule.
Prediction: Montana State -2
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Eastern Washington vs Montana State Betting Preview from GoldSheet
College Basketball Stat Sheet
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