The Omaha Mavericks (6-6) and Eastern Illinois Panthers (2-7) will face off at Cox Pavilion for this game. Action begins at 2:00 pm ET on Monday, Dec. 21.
The Mavericks are hoping to rebound after their 76-75 loss to Wyoming on Saturday. Despite the loss, Jake White earned his fourth double-double this season with 17 points and 13 rebounds. The Panthers, meanwhile, are feeling some disappointment after their 81-65 loss against Houston on Saturday. Cornell Johnston led the team in scoring with 19 points.
Over the last five games, Devin Patterson has taken his game to another level for the Mavericks, averaging 20.0 points, 3.8 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 1.8 steals, and 2.2 three-pointers.
Omaha is a six-point favorite against Eastern Illinois and the Over/Under (O/U) for this game is sitting at 160 points. The Mavericks come into this game 6-6 Straight Up (SU) and 5-3 Against The Spread (ATS). The Mavericks have no trouble scoring as they rank sixth in the nation in offense with 87.5 points per game. The Mavericks are one of the best in Division I in terms of free throws made, making an impressive 20.0 per game. As for the Omaha defense, opponents have consistently had the ball stolen by the Mavericks, who rank 12th in the country in steals per game with 9.7.
In the other locker room, the Panthers have 2-7 SU and 4-5 ATS records.
This game will be the first meeting for Omaha and Eastern Illinois in recent seasons.
Predictions: SU Winner – NEOma, ATS Winner – NEOma, O/U – Over
Notes
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Eastern Illinois’s last 7 games.
Omaha averages 91.1 points per home game, ranking third in the country. Eastern Illinois, on the other hand, allows 74.8 points per away game, one of the worst teams this season (ranked 302nd).
The Eastern Illinois Panthers average a field goal percentage of 40.9% this season. The Omaha Mavericks have split their games this season (3-3) when opponents have a FG% of 40.9% or greater.
The Omaha Mavericks rank higher based on their field goal percentage (112th) than their effective field goal percentage (160th). The Eastern Illinois Panthers rank higher based on their effective field goal percentage (288th) than their field goal percentage (293rd).
Omaha, the 51st-ranked team in rebounding, register an average of 40.9 rebounds per game. Eastern Illinois does worse, ranked 332nd with 31.8.
Eastern Illinois ranks 262nd in offensive rebounds, while Omaha ranks at 53rd in defensive rebounds.
Eastern Illinois has forced an average turnover percentage of 21.1% this season. Omaha is an even 1-1 when its TO% is 21.1% or higher.
