The IPFW Mastodons will travel to University Arena in Read Fieldhouse to take on the Western Michigan Broncos. Action starts at 7:00 pm ET on Tuesday, Dec. 22 and will air on ES3.
The Broncos enter this game hoping for similar success after blowing out Marygrove College 101-59 in their last game. Seth Dugan was a key piece, recording his first double-double this season with 17 points and 10 rebounds. The Mastodons, meanwhile, are coming off a 95-89 win over Stetson in their last game. Joe Reed shot 13 for 16 and led in scoring with 30 points.
Second-chance opportunities are expected to be few and far between for the Mastodons in this contest. They rank 284th in the nation in offensive rebounding (OR% of 26.8%), while Western Michigan is 31st-best in the nation on the defensive backboards (DR% of 75.5%).
Western Michigan is a five-point favorite in this game and the Over/Under (O/U) is 146 points. The Broncos are trying to improve upon their records of 5-5 Straight Up (SU) and 4-2 Against The Spread (ATS). The Broncos are one of the best in Division I in terms of field-goal percentage, shooting an impressive .402 from beyond the arc.
In the other locker room, the Mastodons head into the game with records of 8-1 ATS and 9-4 SU. Most recently, IPFW is 6-1 ATS over the last 10 games. The Mastodons are an excellent long-range shooting team with 125 three-point shots made (9.0 per game), ranking 10th in Division I.
This game marks the first time Western Michigan and IPFW have played one another in recent seasons.
Predictions: SU Winner – IPFW, ATS Winner – IPFW, O/U – Over
Notes
Western Michigan scores 83.0 points per home game (ranked 100th). IPFW ranks a poor 136th in points allowed on the road, allowing 73.5 points.
Western Michigan averages 70.0 possessions per game, scoring 1.067 points on each possession. While IPFW averages fewer possessions per game with 69.1, they score more points per possession with 1.069.
The IPFW Mastodons average an effective field goal percentage of 52.6% this season. The Western Michigan Broncos have a winning 3-1 record in games where opponents have an eFG% of 52.6% or greater.
On average, Western Michigan attempts 18.0 three pointers and IPFW attempts 25.0. In games where they have 20 or more three point attempts, the Western Michigan Broncos are even at 2-2 while the IPFW Mastodons have a winning 8-4 record.
IPFW makes an average of 5.9 steals per game. Western Michigan has a solid 4-2 record when it allows at least 5 steals.
