The Idaho State Bengals will travel to Magness Arena to take on the Denver Pioneers. Action begins at 6:00 pm ET on Wednesday, Nov. 25.
The Pioneers come into this game hoping to repeat their last performance, beating Utah Valley 75-62 the last time they played. Marcus Byrd was the team’s leading scorer with 14 points on 5-for-11 shooting. The Bengals are coming off an ugly 85-67 loss to Washington State in their last game. Ethan Telfair played well for Idaho State, recording 15 points, four rebounds, and three steals.
Denver is a big 13-point favorite at home and the Over/Under (O/U) for this matchup is sitting at 129 points. The Pioneers have gone 3-1 Straight Up (SU) and 2-1 Against The Spread (ATS). The Pioneers, sporting the 40th-best assist-to-turnover ratio in Division I (1.52), have proven themselves to be an extremely efficient offensive team. Denver’s defense can be considered for best in the country, allowing a Division I-best .371 opponent field-goal percentage.
Across the court, the Bengals have started the season well ATS with a 1-0 record to go along with a 2-1 SU record. The Bengals have the best opponent field-goal percentage in the nation at .439.
This game marks the first time these teams will play this season. The last time these two played, Denver won, moving its SU record against the Bengals to 1-0. Additionally, Denver leads the matchup ATS with a record of 1-0.
Predictions: SU Winner – IdaSt, ATS Winner – IdaSt, O/U – Over
Notes
Idaho State is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games on the road.
In its last game, Idaho State lost by a margin of 18 points. Denver is 1-0 in games decided by a margin of 18 points or more. Idaho State has a 1-1 record in blowouts.
The Denver Pioneers have the best defense in the country, giving up just 94.4 points per 100 possessions. The Idaho State Bengals have the 77th-ranked offense, scoring 114.6 points in the same number of possessions.
Idaho State has an average field goal percentage of 42.2%. Denver is an even 1-1 when opponents have a similar or higher field goal percentage.
The Denver Pioneers and the Idaho State Bengals both rank higher in average effective field goal percentage when compared to their field goal percentages. Denver is 113th and 29th in the nation for FG% and eFG% respectively, while Idaho State is 232nd and 113th in these categories.
Denver ranks 45th in assists, registering 17.5 per game. Idaho State performs worse at 154th with 14.0 assists per game.
Idaho State, the 63rd-ranked team in blocked shots, registers an average of 5.0 per game. Denver does worse, ranked 291st with 2.0.
Denver makes 6.5 steals per game. In games where it gives up 6 or more steals, Idaho State is undefeated at 1-0.
