The Northern Colorado Bears (18-10, 9-6 BigSky) will travel to Betty Engelstad Sioux Center to square off with the North Dakota Fighting Hawks (10-17, 5-10 BigSky) in their home finale. Action starts at 4 p.m. ET on Saturday, February 24, 2018.
Northern Colorado Bears at North Dakota Fighting Hawks Betting Preview
The last time the Bears played, they defeated the Southern Utah Thunderbirds, 97-80. Andre Spight was the top scorer from either team with 40 points on 12-for-25 shooting. Northern Colorado dominated nearly every stat category in the game. They had a great turnover percentage of 9.8 (better than their season average of 14.9) and a free throw rate of 0.317 (above their season average of 0.228). Southern Utah was 21.7 and 0.250, respectively, for those same stats.
The Fighting Hawks will look to maintain momentum after topping the Northern Arizona Lumberjacks in their last outing, 86-81. With 28 points on 9-for-13 shooting, Geno Crandall led North Dakota in scoring. North Dakota played a nearly perfect game. They had a turnover percentage of 21.1 (worse than their season average of 16.1) and an offensive rebounding percentage of 24.1 (above their season average of 19.8). Northern Arizona recorded marks of 22.7 and 23.1, respectively, for those same stats.
There could be plenty of transition offense in this meeting that showcases a pair of the NCAA’s more up-tempo teams. North Dakota currently ranks 25th in possessions per game (73.9) and Northern Colorado is 30th (73.7).
Spight has been playing at a high level over the last five games for Northern Colorado, averaging 26.0 points and 3.8 assists per game.
These teams have already met once this season. The Bears won 94-91. Getting to the free throw line was one of Northern Colorado’s largest strengths. They made 26 trips to the line, while North Dakota went 19 times. In the victory, Spight led all scorers with 34 points.
Northern Colorado Bears vs. North Dakota Fighting Hawks Odds Prediction
Prediction: SU Winner – North Dakota, ATS Winner – North Dakota, O/U – Over
Betting Notes:
- The Bears rank first in three pointers allowed per game (15.0) while the Fighting Hawks rank 115th (21.1).
- North Dakota ranks fifth in blocks allowed per game (2.1) while Northern Colorado ranks 36th (2.6).
- Northern Colorado ranks 73rd in rebounds per game (37.5) while North Dakota ranks 288th (30.5).
- The Fighting Hawks rank 27th in steals per game (7.7) while the Bears rank 213th (5.1).
- Northern Colorado ranks 12th in assists allowed per game (10.2) while North Dakota ranks 155th (13.7).
Betting Trends:
- The Fighting Hawks average margin of defeat in their last five games has been 3.8, down from 6.5 for the season.
- During their last five games, the Bears have scored an average of 85.8 points per game (5.5 above their season average) and allowed an average of 71.2 points per game (1.6 below their season average).
