It will be a battle between Horizon opponents when the Cleveland State Vikings (5-10) welcome the Green Bay Phoenix (9-5) to Wolstein Center. The game gets underway at 7:30 pm ET on Thursday, Jan. 7 and will air on EFC and ES3.
The Vikings are hoping to rebound after their 88-80 loss to Detroit on Monday. Rob Edwards finished with 26 points to lead the team. The Phoenix, meanwhile, are coming off a 76-68 win against Wright State on Monday. Khalil Small was the game’s top scorer, accumulating 20 points on 6-for-9 shooting.
This has potential to be a mistake-prone game for the offense of Cleveland State, which ranks 279th in the nation in ball protection (TO% of 20.3%). The ball-hawking defense of Green Bay forces the 16th-most turnovers in the nation (23.5%). It will also be a tale of two tempos, as the up-and-down Phoenix are ranked fifth in possessions per game, with the methodical Vikings at 335th.
Cleveland State is a small underdog, with Green Bay favored by two. The Over/Under (O/U) is sitting at 146 points. The Vikings have gone 5-10 Straight Up (SU) and 5-8 Against The Spread (ATS). The Vikings prevent teams from making three-pointers, ranking 31st in the nation with 78 total three-pointers allowed (5.0 per game).
Over on the other bench, the Phoenix have 9-5 SU and 8-4 ATS records. Green Bay has done particularly well ATS over its past 10 matchups, going 7-2. The Phoenix are getting to the foul line at a high rate. Their 267 free throws made ranks 33rd in Division I. Green Bay is one of the better offensive rebounding teams in Division I. The Phoenix average 13.4 offensive rebounds per game, making them the 47th-best team in the country for that category. The last 10 games have really brought out the best of the Phoenix on the defensive end. They’ve allowed 71.4 points per game during that span, which is lower than their season average of 77.9.
Cleveland State and Green Bay meet for what will be their first head-to-head battle of the season. Cleveland State won the last game in the matchup, taking the head-to-head record to an even 5-5 SU over their most recent meetings. The Phoenix hold the advantage ATS with a record of 6-3-1. Neither Cleveland State nor Green Bay has led in three key areas (field goals, rebounds, or three-pointers) over their most recent five games.
Predictions: SU Winner – GB, ATS Winner – GB, O/U – Over
Notes
Cleveland State is 3-8 SU in its last 11 games.
Cleveland State is 12-4 SU in its last 16 games at home.
Cleveland State is 2-6-1 ATS in its last 9 games when playing Wisc-Green Bay.
Cleveland State is 2-5 SU in its last 7 games when playing Wisc-Green Bay.
Cleveland State is 1-3-1 ATS in its last 5 games when playing at home against Wisc-Green Bay.
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Cleveland State’s last 6 games when playing at home against Wisc-Green Bay.
Green Bay is one of the highest-scoring teams in the nation, averaging 83.8 points per game (ranked 23rd). Cleveland State allows 66.9 points per game (ranked 92nd).
With 65.1 possessions and .961 points per possession, the Cleveland State Vikings perform worse on both metrics than the Green Bay Phoenix. Green Bay averages 77.9 possessions and 1.076 points per possession.
The Green Bay Phoenix average an effective field goal percentage of 49.1% this season. The Cleveland State Vikings have an abysmal record of 1-9 when opponents have an eFG% of 49.1% or greater.
Green Bay, the 62nd-ranked team in rebounding, registers an average of 39.6 rebounds per game. Cleveland State does worse, ranked 294th with 33.9.
The Green Bay Phoenix rank 47th in offensive rebounds. The Cleveland State Vikings rank 341st in the nation in defensive rebounds.
Green Bay is one of the best in the country in forcing turnovers, with opponents averaging a TO% of 23.5% (ranked 16th). Cleveland State is an even 1-1 SU when it has a TO% of 23.5% or greater.
