The Nevada Wolf Pack (20-13) and Eastern Washington Eagles (18-15) get together in the second round of the CBI tournament at Lawlor Events Center. The game starts at 10:00 pm ET on Monday, Mar. 21.
The Wolf Pack were victorious over Montana 79-75 in the 1. D.J. Fenner was the game’s high scorer with 24 points on 9-for-16 shooting. The Eagles, meanwhile, are coming off a 79-72 win against Pepperdine in the 1. Bogdan Bliznyuk claimed his seventh double-double of the season with 25 points and 11 rebounds.
Baskets could be hard to come by as Nevada ranks sixth in the nation, allowing just 98.3 points per 100 possessions, while Eastern Washington is 24th (110.1). Also, the sharp-shooting offense of the Eagles ranks fifth in eFG% at 57.5%, while the Wolf Pack are third-best in the nation at forcing opponents’ misses (45.3%).
The Wolf Pack enter the game with records of 20-13 Straight Up (SU) and 16-15 Against The Spread (ATS). The Wolf Pack are an incredibly accurate shooting team from the line with a .736 free throw percentage, one of the highest marks in Division I. The Wolf Pack have a distinct advantage on the boards in this matchup. They are the 17th-ranked rebounding team in Division I, averaging 40.5 per game, while the Eagles rank 301st in the nation with 33.5 per game.
Over on the other bench, Eastern Washington has a SU record of 18-15 and an ATS record of 15-14-1. The Eagles have one of the best opponent field-goal percentages in the nation at .484. The Eagles are in for a physical game against Nevada. The Wolf Pack are not afraid to send opponents to the free throw line, averaging 21.5 fouls per game.
Nevada won the last meeting this season between these two teams, bringing its SU record to 1-0 over the Eagles. However, with a 1-0 record, Eastern Washington has the advantage ATS.
Predictions: SU Winner – Nevada, ATS Winner – Nevada
Notes
“Nevada is 11-5 ATS in its last 16 games “.
“The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Nevada’s last 5 games “.
“Nevada is 7-1 ATS in its last 8 games at home”.
“Nevada is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games at home”.
“The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Nevada’s last 9 games at home”.
The Eastern Washington Eagles rank eighth for their offensive rating of 117.3. The Nevada Wolf Pack have a defensive rating of 98.3 (ranked sixth).
Eastern Washington is ranked 15th in the country with an average field goal percentage of 48.5%. Nevada is an even 2-2 when opponents have a similar or higher field goal percentage.
The Nevada Wolf Pack rank higher based on their field goal percentage (284th) than their effective field goal percentage (320th). The Eastern Washington Eagles rank higher based on their effective field goal percentage (fifth) than their field goal percentage (15th).
Nevada, the seventh-ranked team in blocked shots, records an average of 5.6 per game. Eastern Washington ranks lower at 114th with 3.9.
Nevada ranks 66th in offensive rebounding. Eastern Washington ranks 273rd in defensive rebounding.
The Nevada Wolf Pack make an average of 7.3 steals per game. The Eastern Washington Eagles are 5-6 when they allow 7 or more steals.
