Eastern Washington vs Northern Colorado and Betting Preview
Sportsmemo content contributor Kyle Kargel offers his Eastern Washington vs Northern Colorado predictions and betting preview for the Big Sky Conference Tournament on Thursday, March 10. At the time of posting, the Bears are a 2-point favorite against the Eagles, with the total sitting at 157.5 points.
Check out our College Basketball Free Picks page for betting thoughts from some of the country’s top handicappers.
Thursday, March 10 | Big Sky Conference Tournament Betting Notes |
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Point Spread: | Eastern Washington +2 vs Northern Colorado |
Total: | 157.5 Points |
Game Time: | 10:00pm ET / 7:00pm PT |
Arena: | Idaho Central Arena in Boise, ID |
TV: | ESPN+ |
Eastern Washington vs Northern Colorado Analysis
We continue the Big Sky Conference Tournament with the second day concluding with Eastern Washington and Northern Colorado. The Bears earned a first round bye finishing 3rd in the conference as the Eagles defeated Northern Arizona 78-75 yesterday.
Northern Colorado ended their regular season with a crushing road loss to Big Sky regular season champion Montana State 87-85.
They look to rebound with a big win against the Eagles tonight and hopefully earn their way to the NCAA Tournament after the conference’s championship game this Saturday.
Eagles Don’t Count on Bench Much
Eastern Washington is very comparable to Northern Colorado given the fact they both like to play up-tempo with each generating tons of points from behind the three point line.
The Eagles specifically gain 35.7% of points from three which is 68th in the nation. They rank 55th in both effective field goal percentage and three point field goal percentage.
Mostly all of this production comes from the starters as they rank 340th in bench minutes nationally. All of their starters average 27+ minutes played per game.
Steele Venters and Linton Acliese lead the charge with each averaging 16+ points per game, shooting 45% or better from the field as well as 84% or better from the free throw line. Their defense needs to improve and quick as they’re 278th in adjusted defensive efficiency.
They allow opponents to shoot at a decent amount of shots from three and rank 169th in opponent three point percentage which could pose a problem with a Northern Colorado team who likes to let it fly from deep.
Bears Let it Fly From Deep
As stated earlier, these two teams are very similar and that goes for their inefficiencies on defense as well.
The Bears are 333rd in adjusted defensive efficiency but try to mitigate that with their offensive onslaught.
They’re 26th in points per game, 9th in three pointers made per game as well as three point percentage. Experience plays a big part of Head Coach Steve Smiley trusting his team to let it fly, taking effective and efficient three point shots.
Senior Daylen Kountz leads the team in scoring at 20.9 PPG which is 12th nationally. He shoots it over 50% from the field including over 45% from downtown. In their two games against Eastern Washington he averaged 22.5 PPG.
Eastern Washington vs Northern Colorado Prediction
Each of these teams average high points per game while allowing a ton of points as well. With the over/under sitting at a high 157.5
I still see the total for this game going over. Each have scored at least 75+ in their past five games and the last time these two played the total hit 161.
Sprinkle some on The Bears -2 as well as Northern Colorado has already proven they can hang and sometimes beat the best in the Big Sky.
Prediction: Over 157.5 / Northern Colorado -2
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Eastern Washington vs Northern Colorado GoldSheet Preview
College Basketball Stat Sheet
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NCAAB Odds Screen
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