The Idaho Vandals (17-11) and Eastern Washington Eagles (16-11) will square off at Memorial Gym for this game. The game starts at 4:05 pm ET on Saturday, Feb. 27.
The Vandals are hoping for a better outcome after their 68-65 loss to Sacramento State the last time they played. Arkadiy Mkrtychyan was one of the best players for the Vandals, finishing with 11 points, eight rebounds, and two steals. The Eagles are coming off a 107-91 loss to Portland State in their last outing. Austin McBroom had a game-high 36 points.
McBroom has upped his play over the last five games for the Eagles, averaging 29.8 points, 2.4 rebounds, 4.6 assists, and 4.2 three-pointers.
This will be the second matchup of the season between these two teams. The Eagles won the first game 74-60. McBroom was a top performer in the victory with 26 points, seven assists, and six three-pointers.
The Vandals have gone 17-11 Straight Up (SU) and 13-11 Against The Spread (ATS). Idaho has averaged 86.7 points per game over the last 10 games, higher than its season average of 69.6. The Vandals are a dangerously accurate shooting team from three-point range with a .378 three-point field goal percentage, one of the highest marks in Division I. Idaho has been struggling of late. The Vandals have given up an average of 80.9 points to opponents in their last 10 games, well over their defense’s season average of 65.8 PPG.
On the other side, the Eagles have 16-11 SU and 13-10-1 ATS records. Offensively, the Eagles have really sputtered in the last 10 games. Their season average has fallen to 83.8 points per game after averaging only 67.1 during that stretch. Eastern Washington is one of the top three-point shooting teams in the nation, hitting 10.0 shots from three-point range per game. The last 10 games have really brought out the best of the Eagles on the defensive end. They’ve allowed 63.7 points per game during that span, which is lower than their season average of 78.2. Teams don’t seem to hit many three-pointers against the Eagles, who are 22nd in the country in terms of three-point field goals allowed at 157 this season. The Eagles are in for a physical game against Idaho. The Vandals are not afraid to send opponents to the free throw line, averaging 21.7 fouls per game.
Eastern Washington beat Idaho in their most recent meeting this season, bringing its SU record in their most recent games to 6-4. The Vandals lead the matchup ATS with a record of 5-4-1. 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 – EastWa, ATS Winner – EastWa
Notes
“Idaho is 4-2 ATS in its last 6 games “.
“Idaho is 5-2 SU in its last 7 games “.
“The total has gone UNDER in 7 of Idaho’s last 10 games “.
“Idaho is 2-4 ATS in its last 6 games at home”.
“Idaho is 14-4 SU in its last 18 games at home”.
“Idaho is 2-3-1 ATS in its last 6 games when playing Eastern Washington”.
“Idaho is 1-5 SU in its last 6 games when playing Eastern Washington”.
The Eastern Washington Eagles hold a solid 10-5 SU record in matchups against Big Sky Conference rivals, while the Idaho Vandals currently sit at 9-6 in these games.
Eastern Washington averages 77.5 points per away game (ranked 29th). Idaho allows 65.8 points per home game (ranked 82nd).
Eastern Washington beats Idaho in both possessions per game and points per possession. The Eagles average 70.3 possessions and 1.192 points per possession, while the Vandals average 67.4 possessions with 1.033 points per possession.
Eastern Washington has an average effective field goal percentage of 59.1% (ranked first in the nation). Idaho is a losing 1-2 when opponents have a similar or higher effective field goal percentage.
The Idaho Vandals make an average of 5.2 steals per game. The Eastern Washington Eagles are 11-8 when they allow 5 or more steals.
