Pat foes will collide when the Colgate Raiders (8-8, 3-2 Pat) take on the Bucknell Bison (10-8, 4-1 Pat) at Cotterell Court. Action begins at 7 p.m. ET on Monday, January 15, 2018, and it can be seen on CBS Sports Network.
Bucknell Bison at Colgate Raiders ATS Preview
The Bison defeated the Lehigh Mountain Hawks in their last game, 78-65. Stephen Brown was the games leading scorer with 23 points on 8-for-16 shooting. The Bison forced 20 turnovers and held the Mountain Hawks to an offensive rebounding percentage of 17.6 (below their season average of 25.3).
In the Raiders last matchup, they were defeated by the Boston University Terriers, 72-58. With 13 points and nine rebounds, Jordan Swopshire had a good performance for Colgate. Boston University held the Raiders to an effective field goal percentage of 0.344 (below their season average of 0.551). Colgate, meanwhile, forced the Terriers into a turnover percentage of 20.2 (above their season average of 15.7).
The sweet-shooting offense of Colgate will go head-to-head against the mid-tier defense of Bucknell. The Raiders rank 87th in effective field goal percentage (0.537), while the Bison are 196th in effective field goal percentage allowed (0.505). The Raiders should have the edge on that side of the ball. It will also be a showdown of conflicting paces as the up-tempo Bison rank 44th in possessions per game, while the slower-paced Raiders rank 261st.
Of Bucknell’s 2 games with betting action, one have finished over the projected point total, while 1 of Colgate’s 1 games have finished under the O/U total. The Bison hold the sizable advantage straight up (SU) (10-8 vs. 8-8), but the Raiders have been better against the spread (ATS) (1-0 vs. 1-2).
This is the first time these teams will clash this year. The Bison won both contests played against each other last season. In the most recent game, Bucknell won 75-58. The Bison played a nearly perfect game. They had a turnover percentage of 15.1 and a solid free throw rate of 0.302. The Raiders recorded marks of 23.3 and 0.250, respectively, for those same stats.
Bucknell Bison at Colgate Raiders Prediction
Predictions: SU Winner – Bucknell, ATS Winner – Colgate, O/U – Under
Betting Notes:
- The Bison rank 103rd in assists per game (14.4) while the Raiders rank 125th in assists allowed per game (13.4).
- Colgate is 1-0 ATS at home, while Bucknell is 1-2 ATS on the road.
- The total has gone under in 1 of the Raiders 1 home games, while 1 of the Bison’s 3 road games have gone over.
- Bucknell ranks 93rd in three pointers attempted per game (23.4) while Colgate ranks 176th in three pointers allowed per game (23.3).
- The Raiders rank 48th in steals allowed per game (5.4) while the Bison rank 98th (6.3).
- Colgate ranks 46th in blocks allowed per game (2.8) while Bucknell ranks 83rd (3.4).
Betting Trends:
- Colgate is 1-0 ATS with 1 under in their last five games.
- Over their last five games, Bucknell is 0-1 ATS with 1 under.
- The Raiders average margin of victory in their last five games has been 1.0, down from 2.5 for the season.
- During their last five games, the Bison have scored an average of 80.8 points per game (0.8 below their season average) and allowed an average of 69.0 points per game (10.7 below their season average).
