It will be a battle between Big Sky opponents when the Montana State Bobcats (8-11) welcome the Idaho Vandals (12-7) to Max Worthington Arena. The game begins at 4:05 pm ET on Saturday, Jan. 23.
The Bobcats were victorious over Eastern Washington 85-71 on Thursday. Tyler Hall led all scorers on the team with 24 points on 7-for-15 shooting. The Vandals, meanwhile, are coming off a 63-58 win over Montana on Thursday. Victor Sanders was the game’s top scorer, recording 27 points on 6-for-10 shooting.
Sanders has been hot for the Vandals, averaging 23.6 points, 3.6 rebounds, 2.6 assists, 1.6 steals, 1.4 blocks, and 2.6 three-pointers over the past five games.
The attacking Idaho offense seems poised to make an impact from the foul line. It ranks 27th in the nation at getting to the stripe (FTA rate of 44.2), while Montana State is among the nation’s most foul-prone squads (giving up a 273rd-ranked FTA rate of 40.8).
Montana State is favored by a slim one-point margin in its matchup against Idaho. The matchup currently has a 143-point Over/Under (O/U). The Bobcats come into this game 8-11 Straight Up (SU) and 10-7 Against The Spread (ATS). The Bobcats are one of the best in Division I in terms of three-point field goals, making 9.0 shots per game from beyond the arc.
In the other locker room, Idaho has a SU record of 12-7 and an ATS record of 9-6. During the last 10 games, they averaged 76.6 PPG, above their 70.6 PPG season average.
This is the first meeting of the season for Montana State and Idaho. The last time they played, Idaho came out on top, bringing the head-to-head record to an even 4-4 SU. They are also even ATS at 4-4.
Predictions: SU Winner – Idaho, ATS Winner – Idaho, O/U – Over
Notes
Montana State is 3-7 SU in its last 10 games.
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Montana State’s last 6 games.
Montana State is 5-2 SU in its last 7 games at home.
Montana State is 2-4 ATS in its last 6 games when playing Idaho.
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Montana State’s last 5 games when playing Idaho.
Idaho sits at 4-2 SU against its conference rivals, while Montana State is 3-4 SU.
Idaho has allowed an average of 65.8 points per away game this season. Montana State averages 82.4 points per home game, ranking 75th in scoring.
On average, Montana State has 70.5 possessions per game and scores 1.080 points on each possession. Idaho has both fewer possessions (68.8) and scores fewer points during those possessions (1.027).
Montana State has an average effective field goal percentage of 50.9%. Idaho is an even 5-5 when opponents have a similar or higher effective field goal percentage.
On average, Montana State attempts 24.0 three pointers and Idaho attempts 19.0. In games where they have 20 or more three point attempts, the Montana State Bobcats have a 6-10 record while the Idaho Vandals have a solid 5-3 record.
The Montana State Bobcats make an average of 4.2 steals per game. When the Idaho Vandals allow 4 or more steals, they are a winning 11-6.
