This matchup between the Idaho Vandals and Samford Bulldogs will take place at The Super Pit. The game starts at 3:00 pm ET on Wednesday, Nov. 25.
The Bulldogs won a close one over North Texas 74-72 on Tuesday. Darius Jones-Gibson led all scorers on the team with 23 points on 5-for-10 shooting. The Vandals, meanwhile, are coming off a 69-63 win over Troy on Tuesday. Chris Sarbaugh had a solid game for Idaho, registering eight points, four rebounds, and three assists.
Samford is a slim underdog, with Idaho favored by two. The Over/Under (O/U) is unavailable as of now. The Bulldogs enter the game with records of 4-1 Straight Up (SU) and 2-1 Against The Spread (ATS). Opposing offenses have been stifled by the Bulldogs, who allow a Division I-low field goal percentage of only .457.
In the other locker room, it’s hard to argue with the ATS success of Idaho. The Vandals are clearly doing something right with a 3-0 record ATS to go along with a 4-1 record SU so far. The Idaho defense as a whole has been firing on all cylinders so far, ranking 47th in Division I with only 61.4 points allowed per game. The Idaho defense has been a problem for competitors, allowing only .377 shooting from the field to its opponents.
Samford and Idaho will be facing off for their first head-to-head game in recent seasons.
Predictions: SU Winner – Sam, ATS Winner – Sam
Notes
Samford scores an average of just 74.6 points per game (ranked 191st). Idaho ranks 47th in points allowed, giving up 61.4 points per game.
The Idaho Vandals have the nation’s top defense, with a defensive rating of 88.2. The Samford Bulldogs have an offensive rating of 102.0 (ranked 228th).
On average, Samford has 73.1 possessions per game and scores 1.020 points on each possession. Idaho has both fewer possessions (69.1) and scores fewer points during those possessions (.978).
The Samford Bulldogs average an effective field goal percentage of 45.4% this season. The Idaho Vandals have a winning 2-1 record in games where opponents have an eFG% of 45.4% or greater.
The Samford Bulldogs attempt an average of 16.0 three pointers per game, while the Idaho Vandals attempt 18.0. When they attempt 20 or more three pointers in a game, both Samford (1-0) and Idaho (2-0) are undefeated.
Samford ranks 81st in offensive rebounding. Idaho ranks 185th in defensive rebounding.
Though Samford is one of the best in the country in forcing turnovers with opponents averaging a TO% of 20.0% (ranked first), Idaho has a winning 4-1 record SU when its TO% is 20.0% or greater.
