The Eastern Washington Eagles (14-10), the Big Sky’s top scoring team, will challenge the Northern Colorado Bears (8-16) at Reese Court. Action begins at 5:05 pm ET on Saturday, Feb. 13.
The Eagles enter this game hoping for similar success after topping North Dakota 95-85 on Thursday. Venky Jois played a pivotal role with 24 points, nine rebounds, and five assists. The Bears, meanwhile, are feeling some disappointment after their 73-67 loss against Idaho on Thursday. Jordan Wilson led the team in scoring with 18 points.
Over the last five games, a number of players have been better than usual for the Eagles. Bogdan Bliznyuk has led the way, averaging 16.4 points, 8.8 rebounds, 3.2 assists, 2.2 steals, 1.2 blocks, and 1.6 three-pointers. Jois (19.2 PTS, 10.4 REB, 2.6 AST, 0.8 STL, and 2.2 BLK) and Austin McBroom (24.6 PTS, 2.4 REB, 4.0 AST, 0.8 STL, and 3.6 3PM) have also played at a high level.
The Eagles could have their way today, as their productive offense faces off against one of the nation’s worst defenses. They currently rank seventh in offensive efficiency while Northern Colorado ranks 350th in defensive efficiency.
This is the second game of the season between these two teams, with the Bears winning the first matchup 96-90. Wilson had a standout performance in the victory, putting up 26 points, two rebounds, seven assists, and three three-pointers.
The Eagles have gone 14-10 Straight Up (SU) and 11-9-1 Against The Spread (ATS). The Eagles have no trouble scoring as they rank 14th in the nation in offense with 82.6 points per game. The Eagles are one of the best in Division I in terms of three-point field goals, making 10.0 shots per game from beyond the arc. Crossing over to the defensive end of the court, the Eagles prevent teams from making three-pointers, ranking 43rd in the nation with 142 total three-pointers allowed (5.0 per game). Eastern Washington will look to take advantage of the Bears and their propensity to foul. Northern Colorado ranks 339th in the nation in fouls, averaging 22.7 per game.
As for their opponent, the Bears have records of 9-13 ATS and 8-16 SU. Northern Colorado performed well ATS during its last 10 games, earning a 7-2-1 record. Offensively, the Bears have really picked up the pace in the last 10 games. They have exceeded their season average of 73.9 points per game by averaging 86.2 during that stretch.
With the Bears’ last win against Eastern Washington, their SU record is now 6-4 over Eastern Washington in their most recent meetings. The teams are even ATS, with a 5-5 record. In these last five matchups, each team was able to hold the edge in field goals, rebounds, and three-pointers once.
Predictions: SU Winner – EastWa, ATS Winner – EastWa
Notes
“Eastern Washington is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games “.
“Eastern Washington is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games “.
“The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Eastern Washington’s last 7 games “.
“Eastern Washington is 5-1 ATS in its last 6 games at home”.
“Eastern Washington is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games at home”.
“The total has gone OVER in 4 of Eastern Washington’s last 5 games at home”.
“Eastern Washington is 4-8 SU in its last 12 games when playing Northern Colorado”.
“The total has gone OVER in 4 of Eastern Washington’s last 5 games when playing Northern Colorado”.
“Eastern Washington is 4-2 ATS in its last 6 games when playing at home against Northern Colorado”.
“Eastern Washington is 6-3 SU in its last 9 games when playing at home against Northern Colorado”.
The Eastern Washington Eagles hold a solid 8-4 SU record in matchups against Big Sky Conference rivals, while the Northern Colorado Bears currently sit at 5-7 in these games.
Eastern Washington averages 91.3 points per home game, ranking second in the country. Northern Colorado, on the other hand, allows 84.0 points per away game, one of the worst teams this season (ranked 243rd).
On average, Eastern Washington has 69.4 possessions per game and scores 1.189 points on each possession. Northern Colorado has both fewer possessions (69.0) and scores fewer points during those possessions (1.070).
Eastern Washington is ranked third in the nation with an average effective field goal percentage of 58.7%. Northern Colorado has not won a game this season when opponents have a similar or higher effective field goal percentage (0-4).
On average, Eastern Washington attempts 26.0 three pointers and Northern Colorado attempts 17.0. In games where they have 20 or more three point attempts, the Eastern Washington Eagles have a 12-10 record while the Northern Colorado Bears have a losing 2-5 record.
Eastern Washington has forced an average turnover percentage of 16.8% this season. Northern Colorado has a losing 5-12 record when its TO% is 16.8% or higher.
