The No. 8 Texas A&M Aggies (9-1) will attempt to continue a five-game home winning streak when they square off with the Northern Kentucky Norse (7-4) at Reed Arena. The Over/Under (O/U) for the game has been set at 147.5 points with Texas A&M opening as a 14.5-point favorite. Action gets underway at 8 p.m. ET on Tuesday, December 19, 2017.
Northern Kentucky Norse vs. Texas A&M Aggies Betting Preview
,In the Norse’s last game, they lost a tough one against the UMBC Retrievers, 76-75. Drew McDonald put together a good performance for Northern Kentucky, leading the team in scoring with 24 points on 8-for-17 shooting. UMBC had a turnover percentage of 11.6 (better than their season average of 16.6). Northern Kentucky, on the other hand, had a better effective field goal percentage (0.563 vs. 0.500).
The Aggies come in on a high note after blowing out the Savannah State Tigers in their last outing, 113-66. Tyler Davis was a key piece for Texas A&M with 13 points and 17 rebounds. Texas A&M dominated every facet of the game. They had a ridiculous offensive rebounding percentage of 52.0 (above their season average of 33.1) and a free throw rate of 0.078 (matching their season average). Savannah State was 22.0 and 0.054, respectively, for those same stats.
This battle pits one of the nation’s top offenses against one of its elite defenses. Texas A&M currently ranks 55th in offensive efficiency and Northern Kentucky is 47th in defensive efficiency.
Of Northern Kentucky’s 8 games with betting action, four have finished over the projected point total, while 4 of Texas A&M’s 7 games have finished under the projected point total. The Aggies have the better straight up (SU) record (9-1 vs. 7-4), but the Norse hold the substantial advantage against the spread (ATS) (6-2 vs. 4-3).
Carson Williams has been exceptional over the last five games for Northern Kentucky, averaging 16.6 points and 1.6 steals per game.
Northern Kentucky Norse vs. Texas A&M Aggies Odds Prediction
Predictions: SU Winner – Texas A&M, ATS Winner – Northern Kentucky, O/U – Over
Betting Notes:
- The Norse rank 26th in steals per game (8.5) while the Aggies rank 131st in steals allowed per game (6.9).
- Northern Kentucky averages 18.3 assists per game, which ranks 13th in the nation. Texas A&M ranks 101st in assists allowed per game (13.1).
- Texas A&M ranks third in rebounds per game (44.9) while Northern Kentucky ranks 181st (34.5).
- The Norse rank 49th in three pointers allowed per game (19.3) while the Aggies rank 224th (25.0).
- Texas A&M ranks seventh in blocks per game (6.3) while Northern Kentucky ranks 127th (3.0).
Bettings Trends:
- The Aggies average margin of victory in their last five games has been 19.6, up from 18.4 for the season.
- During their last five games, the Norse have scored an average of 87.0 points per game (3.5 above their season average) and allowed an average of 61.0 points per game (4.9 below their season average).
