The Northern Colorado Bears will travel to Coors Events Center to play the Colorado Buffaloes. Action gets underway at 3:00 pm ET on Sunday, Nov. 29 and will air on PAC.
The Buffaloes were victorious over Air Force 81-70 on Wednesday. Josh Scott led all scorers on the team with 21 points on 6-for-7 shooting. The Bears, meanwhile, are feeling some disappointment after their deflating 105-85 loss against Omaha on Wednesday. Anthony Johnson had a team-high 20 points.
This one isn’t expected to be close when Colorado, a considerable 25-point favorite, takes on Northern Colorado. The Over/Under (O/U) is sitting at 157 points for this matchup. The Buffaloes enter the game with records of 4-1 Straight Up (SU) and 3-2 Against The Spread (ATS). The Buffaloes are one of the best in Division I in terms of field-goal percentage, shooting a stellar .420 from beyond the arc. The rebounding edge goes to the Buffaloes in this matchup, who are one of the top rebounding teams in the nation with an average of 42.8 boards per game. Crossing over to the defensive side of the court, the Buffaloes are the 25th-best team in the country at blocking shots, averaging 5.8 blocks per game. Northern Colorado has a habit of getting in foul trouble (24.2 fouls per game), so expect the Buffaloes to get a number of opportunities from the free throw line.
In the other locker room, the Bears have yet to cover the spread in any of their matchups, going 0-4 ATS along with their SU record of 1-4. The Bears are shooting lights out from the foul line so far, with a .794 free throw percentage that ranks sixth in Division I.
This game marks the first time these teams will play this season. The last time these two played, Colorado won, moving its SU record against the Bears to 3-0. The Buffaloes also hold the advantage ATS with a record of 1-0.
Predictions: SU Winner – Colo, ATS Winner – Colo, O/U – Over
Notes
Colorado is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games.
The total has gone OVER in 10 of Colorado’s last 14 games.
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Colorado’s last 6 games at home.
Colorado is 2-4 ATS in its last 6 games at home.
Northern Colorado lost its last game by a 20-point margin. In games decided by a margin of 18 points or more, Colorado is 1-0. Northern Colorado is 0-2 in blowouts this season.
The Northern Colorado Bears average a field goal percentage of 43.9% this season. The Colorado Buffaloes have a winning 2-1 record in games where opponents have a FG% of 43.9% or greater.
The Colorado Buffaloes and the Northern Colorado Bears both rank higher in average effective field goal percentage when compared to their field goal percentages. Colorado is 119th and 90th in the nation for FG% and eFG% respectively, while Northern Colorado is 183rd and 158th in these categories.
Colorado, the 25th-ranked team in blocked shots, records an average of 5.8 per game. Northern Colorado ranks lower at 253rd with 2.6.
Northern Colorado ranks 213th in offensive rebounds, while Colorado ranks at 17th in defensive rebounds.
On average, Northern Colorado forces a turnover rate of 16.2%. When Colorado turns over the ball at a similar or higher rate, the team has a winning 3-1 record.
