The Bradley Braves (3-20) look to end their five-game losing streak when they take on the Missouri State Bears (9-13) at JQH Arena. The game starts at 8:05 pm ET on Tuesday, Feb. 2 and will air on ES3.
The Bears won a close one over Illinois State 84-81 on Saturday. Jarred Dixon played well, contributing 14 points, six steals, and five assists for the Bears. The Braves are coming off an 80-70 loss to Drake on Saturday. Luuk van Bree accumulated 13 points, four rebounds, and one block.
This will be the second matchup of the season between these two teams. The Bears won the first game 61-42. Obediah Church put up 13 points and 13 rebounds.
Missouri State is a considerable 13-point favorite in this game and the Over/Under (O/U) is set at 120 points. The Bears enter the game with records of 9-13 Straight Up (SU) and 10-10-1 Against The Spread (ATS). Expect Missouri State to have lots of opportunities at the line against the Braves, who are one of the most foul-prone teams in the nation with an average of 23.2 fouls per game.
On the other side, the Braves head into the game with records of 8-13 ATS and 3-20 SU. Bradley has been particularly bad ATS over its past 10 matchups, going 3-7.
Following the Bears’ latest win over Bradley, their SU record rises to 8-2 over Bradley in their most recent meetings. Additionally, with a 6-3-1 record, Missouri State has the advantage ATS. When it comes to field goals, rebounds, or three-pointers, neither team was able to hold the advantage in all three of these categories over their past five meetings against one another.
Predictions: SU Winner – MoStU, ATS Winner – Brad, O/U – Over
Notes
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Missouri State’s last 6 games.
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Missouri State’s last 7 games at home.
Missouri State is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games at home.
Missouri State is 2-4 ATS in its last 6 games at home.
Missouri State is 6-0-1 ATS in its last 7 games when playing Bradley.
Missouri State is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games when playing Bradley.
Missouri State is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against Bradley.
On average, Missouri State has 69.0 possessions per game and scores .969 points on each possession. Bradley has both fewer possessions (66.4) and scores fewer points during those possessions (.816).
The Missouri State Bears average an effective field goal percentage of 45.9% this season. The Bradley Braves have a subpar record of 1-13 when opponents have an eFG% of 45.9% or greater.
On average, Missouri State makes 6.6 steals per game. Bradley is an abysmal 2-16 when it gives up at least 6 steals.
