The Eastern Washington Eagles (16-12), the Big Sky’s top scoring team, will take on the Idaho State Bengals (15-13) at Reese Court. The game begins at 9:05 pm ET on Thursday, Mar. 3.
The Eagles lost to Idaho 66-62 the last time they played. Venky Jois was the team’s high scorer with 16 points. The Bengals, meanwhile, are coming off a 76-69 win over Montana State in their last game. Ethan Telfair shot 9 for 16 and led in scoring with 31 points.
Austin McBroom has really been playing well as of late for the Eagles, averaging 28.2 points, 3.0 rebounds, 4.8 assists, and 4.2 three-pointers over the last five games. Telfair has been on a tear for the Bengals. In the same five-game span, he is averaging 24.6 points, 5.4 rebounds, 4.8 assists, 2.2 steals, and 3.0 three-pointers.
The Eagles are looking to build on their records of 16-12 Straight Up (SU) and 13-11-1 Against The Spread (ATS). The Eagles have one of the most prolific offenses in the entire nation, averaging 83.0 points per game. The Eagles are an impressive three-point shooting team with 10.0 made per game, one of the highest marks in Division I. The Eastern Washington defense is doing better against opposing offenses during the last 10 games. It is allowing an average of 71.3 points per game, well under their season average of 77.8.
As for their opponent, the Bengals have 15-13 SU and 16-8 ATS records. During the last 10 games, they averaged 85.8 PPG, above their 75.2 PPG season average. The Bengals convert their three-pointers at a high percentage, ranking 43rd in the nation at .380.
Eastern Washington and Idaho State will be facing off in their first head-to-head clash of the season. When they last met the Eagles were winners, moving their SU record against Idaho State to 9-1 in their most recent head-to-head meetings. At 5-5, they are even ATS. When it comes to field goals, rebounds, and three-pointers, Eastern Washington held the edge in all three of these categories two times in the last five meetings. Idaho State never did so in those games.
Predictions: SU Winner – EastWa, ATS Winner – EastWa
Notes
Eastern Washington is one of the top-scoring teams in the nation, averaging 83.0 points per game (ranked ninth). Idaho State, on the other hand, allows 75.8 points per game (ranked 212th).
Ranked eighth, the Eastern Washington Eagles have an offensive rating of 118.5. The Idaho State Bengals rank 190th with a defensive rating of just 106.5.
Eastern Washington has the sixth-ranked average field goal percentage at 49.8%. Idaho State has not won a game this season when opponents have a similar or higher field goal percentage (0-6).
On average, Eastern Washington attempts 26.0 three pointers and Idaho State attempts 22.0. In games where they have 20 or more three point attempts, the Eastern Washington Eagles have a 14-12 record while the Idaho State Bengals are even at 9-9.
Idaho State has forced an average turnover percentage of 18.1% this season. Eastern Washington has a losing 3-8 record when its TO% is 18.1% or higher.
