The Eastern Washington Eagles (15-10) will attempt to keep their six-game winning streak alive when they meet the Sacramento State Hornets (10-13) at Hornet Gym. The game gets underway at 10:05 pm ET on Thursday, Feb. 18.
The Hornets are hoping for a better outcome after their 66-64 loss to Idaho State in their last matchup. Justin Strings finished with 24 points to lead the game. The Eagles are coming off a 97-80 win over Northern Colorado in their last game. Austin McBroom was the team’s top scorer, accounting for 37 points on 10-for-16 shooting.
Over the last five games, a number of players have upped their production for the Eagles. Bogdan Bliznyuk has led the way, averaging 17.8 points, 9.0 rebounds, 2.6 assists, 1.4 steals, 0.8 blocks, and 1.6 three-pointers. Venky Jois (17.4 PTS, 10.6 REB, 2.4 AST, 1.0 STL, and 2.2 BLK) and McBroom (27.0 PTS, 3.0 REB, 4.2 AST, 0.8 STL, and 3.8 3PM) have also been superb.
This is the second game of the season between these two teams, with the Eagles winning the first matchup 74-67. Venky Jois played a big role with 24 points and 12 rebounds.
The Hornets look to improve upon their records of 10-13 Straight Up (SU) and 11-8 Against The Spread (ATS). They are 7-2-1 ATS over their last 10 games. Sacramento State has averaged 88.5 points per game over the last 10 games, higher than its season average of 71.8.
Over on the other bench, Eastern Washington has a SU record of 15-10 and an ATS record of 12-9-1. The Eagles rank 13th in the country in scoring, averaging 83.2 points per game. The Eastern Washington defense has been a problem for competitors, allowing only 5.0 field goals from three-point range per game.
Eastern Washington won the last meeting this season between these two teams, bringing the head-to-head record to an even 5-5 SU over their most recent meetings. On the other hand, Sacramento State holds the advantage ATS with a record of 6-3-1. Eastern Washington held the advantage in field goals, rebounds, and three-pointers once in the last five matchups. On the other side of the court, Sacramento State never accomplished this feat in that span.
Predictions: SU Winner – EastWa, ATS Winner – EastWa
Notes
Eastern Washington is one of the top-scoring teams in the nation, averaging 83.2 points per game (ranked 13th). Sacramento State, on the other hand, allows 71.8 points per game (ranked 146th).
Eastern Washington scores 75.2 points per away game (ranked 49th). Sacramento State ranks a poor 214th in points allowed at home, allowing 74.2 points.
With 68.6 possessions and 1.046 points per possession, the Sacramento State Hornets perform worse on both metrics than the Eastern Washington Eagles. Eastern Washington averages 69.7 possessions and 1.194 points per possession.
Ranked second in the nation, Eastern Washington has an average effective field goal percentage of 59.0%. Sacramento State has not won a game this season when opponents have a similar or higher effective field goal percentage (0-3).
On average, the Sacramento State Hornets attempt 19.0 three point field goals per game and the Eastern Washington Eagles attempt 26.0. In games where they attempt at least 20 threes, Sacramento State has a losing record of 5-8, while Eastern Washington is 13-10.
The Sacramento State Hornets make an average of 5.8 steals per game. The Eastern Washington Eagles are 10-7 when they allow 5 or more steals.
