The Missouri State Bears (15-10, 5-7 MVC), who are currently on a five-game skid, will attempt to get back in the win column when they travel to Hulman Center to clash against the Indiana State Sycamores (11-13, 6-6 MVC). Indiana State is a 4-point favorite on the opening line, while the Over/Under (O/U) for the game opened at 138 points. Action gets underway at 7 p.m. ET on Tuesday, February 6, 2018.
Missouri State Bears at Indiana State Sycamores Free Preview
The last time the Bears played, they lost big to the Loyola Chicago Ramblers, 97-75. Missouri State’s Alize Johnson finished with 14 points, nine rebounds and five assists in the contest. Loyola Chicago had an offensive rebounding percentage of 30.8 (above their season average of 22.6). Missouri State, on the other hand, did a fantastic job of converting from the charity stripe (12-16; 75.0 percent).
The Sycamores hope to keep it rolling after defeating the UNI Panthers in their last matchup, 77-66. Indiana State was lifted by Brenton Scott, who was the games leading scorer with 20 points on 7-for-12 shooting. Indiana State played a nearly perfect game. They had a solid offensive rebounding percentage of 28.0 (above their season average of 27.9) and an effective field goal percentage of 0.620 (above their season average of 0.513). UNI had marks of 20.0 and 0.554, respectively, for those same stats.
Indiana State might have a difficult time putting up points as they square off against one of the nations best defenses. Missouri State ranks 87th in defensive efficiency, while the Sycamores rank 237th in offensive efficiency. Furthermore, the Bears are among the nations elite on the offensive backboards, ranking 56th in offensive rebounding percentage (33.7 percent). The Sycamores, however, rank 41st in defensive rebounding percentage (75.2 percent).
These two teams are complete opposites in terms of the O/U total. Games involving Missouri State have finished under 63.6 percent of the time, while 68.2 percent of Indiana State games have gone over. The Bears hold the clear advantage straight up (SU) (15-10 vs. 11-13), but the Sycamores have been superior against the spread (ATS) (10-10-2 vs. 8-14).
These teams have already met once this season. The two teams combined to score 149 points in that game, which was over the projected point total of 135. The Bears won 76-73, but were unable to cover as 10-point favorites. The Bears offensive rebounding percentage was their biggest advantage over the Sycamores. Missouri State had a rate of 32.3, while Indiana State posted a mark of 25.8. Johnson put up a double-double in the victory with 21 points and 16 rebounds.
Missouri State Bears at Indiana State Sycamores Betting Prediction
Prediction: SU Winner – Indiana State, ATS Winner – Indiana State, O/U – Over
Betting Notes:
- The Bears rank 186th in assists per game (12.7) while the Sycamores rank 228th (11.8).
- Indiana State ranks 103rd in three pointers attempted per game (23.1) while Missouri State ranks 119th in three pointers allowed per game (21.3).
- On the road, Missouri State is 5-8 ATS with 8 unders and 5 overs.
- At home, Indiana State is 4-4-1 ATS with 6 overs and 3 unders.
- Indiana State ranks 37th in steals per game (7.6) while Missouri State ranks 199th (4.9).
- The Bears rank 40th in rebounds per game (38.8) while the Sycamores rank 134th (35.9).
- Missouri State ranks 67th in blocks per game (4.1) while Indiana State ranks 124th in blocks allowed per game (3.6).
Betting Trends:
- Indiana State is 2-3 ATS with 3 overs and 2 unders in their last five games.
- Over their last five games, Missouri State is 0-5 ATS with 3 unders and 2 overs.
- The Sycamores average margin of victory in their last five games has been 4.4, up from 1.5 for the season.
- During their last five games, the Bears have scored an average of 64.4 points per game (5.1 below their season average) and allowed an average of 77.0 points per game (11.7 above their season average).
