It will be a battle between BigSky opponents when the Northern Colorado Bears (14-8, 8-3 BigSky) welcome the Portland State Vikings (9-12, 4-6 BigSky) to Bank of Colorado Arena. The game starts at 9 p.m. ET on Thursday, February 7, 2019.
Portland State Vikings at Northern Colorado Bears ATS Prediction
The last time the Vikings played, they were beaten by the Idaho State Bengals, 69-67. Idaho State’s free throw rate was their biggest advantage over Portland State. The Bengals had a rate of 0.113 (below their season average of 0.210), while the Vikings posted a mark of 0.083 (below their season average of 0.266). Jamie Orme led Portland State in scoring with 14 points on 5-for-8 shooting.
The Bears lost a tough one against the Montana State Bobcats in their last matchup, 69-66. Montana State’s 12.7 turnover percentage was their biggest strength over Northern Colorado, who had a rate of 18.3. The Bobcats’ mark was better than their season average of 15.8. With 19 points on 7-for-19 shooting, Jordan Davis led Northern Colorado in scoring.
This will be the second game of the season between these two squads. In the first, Davis scored a game-high 27 points and the Bears defeated the Vikings 73-60. The Bears had a much better turnover percentage (12.3 vs. 18.1) and had a better effective field goal percentage (0.527 vs. 0.441).
The sweet-shooting offense of Northern Colorado will battle against the bottom-tier defense of Portland State. The Bears rank 50th in effective field goal percentage (0.546), while the Vikings are 278th in effective field goal percentage allowed (0.524). The Bears figure to have the advantage on that end of the court. Also, the Vikings, who rank first in offensive rebounding percentage (42.0 percent), will clash against the Bears, who rank 45th in defensive rebounding percentage (75.2 percent).
Portland State at Northern Colorado Odds Pick
Pick: SU Winner – Northern Colorado, ATS Winner – Northern Colorado, O/U – Over
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Notes
Betting Notes:
Portland State ranks 14th in steals per game (9.0) while Northern Colorado ranks 209th (4.8).
The Vikings rank ninth in rebounds per game (41.4) while the Bears rank 133rd (36.1).
Northern Colorado ranks 41st in three pointers attempted per game (26.3) while Portland State ranks 96th (24.3).
The Vikings rank 74th in blocks per game (3.8) while the Bears rank 94th in blocks allowed per game (3.3).
Northern Colorado averages 13.2 assists per game, which ranks 149th in the NCAA. Portland State ranks 168th in assists allowed per game (13.8).
Bettings Trends:
The Vikings’ average margin of victory in their last five games has been 4.2, up from 3.0 for the season.
During their last five games, the Bears have scored an average of 69.8 points per game (7.9 below their season average) and allowed an average of 63.2 points per game (7.4 below their season average).
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