The Northern Colorado Bears (9-19) will wrap up the regular season on the road when they face off against the Montana State Bobcats (12-16) at Max Worthington Arena. The game gets underway at 9:05 pm ET on Thursday, Mar. 3.
The Bobcats fell to Idaho State 76-69 in their last game. Tyler Hall was the team’s high scorer with 27 points. The Bears, meanwhile, are feeling some disappointment after their close 89-86 loss to Portland State in their last outing. Anthony Johnson had a good shooting night, leading the game with 30 points.
Hall has really been playing well over the last five games for the Bobcats. During that stretch, he has averaged 24.4 points, 4.4 rebounds, 1.6 assists, 0.8 steals, and 5.4 three-pointers. Johnson has also upped his play in the same span, averaging 20.8 points, 3.0 rebounds, 1.6 assists, 1.4 steals, and 3.4 three-pointers while leading the Bears.
This will be the second matchup of the season between these two teams. The Bears won the first game 78-76. Dallas Anglin had a standout performance in the victory, putting up 20 points, five rebounds, six assists, two steals, and two three-pointers.
The Bobcats enter the game with records of 12-16 Straight Up (SU) and 15-11 Against The Spread (ATS). The Bobcats have no trouble scoring as they rank 43rd in the nation in home offense with 81.8 points per game. The Bobcats are an exceptional three-point shooting team with 9.0 made per game, one of the highest marks in Division I.
Across the court, the Bears head into the game with records of 11-15 ATS and 9-19 SU. The Bears average 80.5 points allowed per game, but have improved upon those numbers in the past 10 games, allowing 74.0 points per game during that span.
In their previous meeting this season, Northern Colorado beat Montana State, bringing its SU record in their most recent games to 6-4. At 5-5, they are even ATS. Montana State has led in three key areas (field goals, rebounds, and three-pointers) three times over the last five matchups. Northern Colorado has had the edge in all categories twice.
Predictions: SU Winner – MontSt, ATS Winner – MontSt
Notes
Montana State averages 75.9 points per game (ranked 99th). Northern Colorado, on the other hand, allows 80.5 points per game (ranked 253rd).
Northern Colorado scores 72.9 points per away game (ranked 96th). Montana State ranks a poor 225th in points allowed at home, allowing 75.2 points.
On average, Montana State has 69.7 possessions per game and scores 1.088 points on each possession. Northern Colorado has both fewer possessions (69.6) and scores fewer points during those possessions (1.069).
The Montana State Bobcats average an effective field goal percentage of 51.0% this season. The Northern Colorado Bears have an underachieving record of 5-17 when opponents have an eFG% of 51.0% or greater.
On average, Montana State attempts 25.0 three pointers and Northern Colorado attempts 17.0. In games where they have 20 or more three point attempts, the Montana State Bobcats have a 10-15 record while the Northern Colorado Bears have a losing 2-6 record.
On average, Montana State makes 4.6 steals per game. Northern Colorado is a subpar 5-15 when it gives up at least 4 steals.
