It will be a clash between two exceptional defenses when the Southern Utah Thunderbirds (13-8, 6-4 BigSky) square off against the Northern Colorado Bears (14-7, 7-3 BigSky) at Centrum Arena. Action gets underway at 9 p.m. ET on Thursday, February 6, 2020.
Northern Colorado Bears at Southern Utah Thunderbirds Betting Odds
Both teams were triumphant in their last game. The Thunderbirds beat the Idaho State Bengals 80-75, while the Bears easily got past the Weber State Wildcats 70-52.
Northern Colorado dominated nearly every stat category in the game. They had a solid effective field goal percentage of 0.585 (above their season average of 0.534) and a turnover percentage of 15.6 (worse than their season average of 13.3). Weber State had marks of 0.452 and 19.1, respectively, for those same stats. The Thunderbirds, on the other hand, made 17 of their 19 free throws (89.5 percent) and had an offensive rebounding percentage of 34.6 (above their season average of 29.5). Harrison Butler fueled Southern Utah with 13 points and 11 rebounds. Northern Colorado received a boost from Jonah Radebaugh, who finished with 19 points, eight assists and seven rebounds.
The Bears edged out the Thunderbirds in this series last year, taking two out of three contests. In the last game, Southern Utah won 83-64. Southern Utah made 11 of their 21 three pointers (52.4 percent), while Northern Colorado was 9-32 (28.1 percent). This is the first time these teams will clash this year.
Baskets could be hard to come by as a pair of the nation’s top defenses clash. Southern Utah ranks 18th in defensive efficiency (89.9) and Northern Colorado is 51st (93.6).
Northern Colorado Bears at Southern Utah Thunderbirds ATS Pick
Free College Basketball Pick: SU Winner – Southern Utah, ATS Winner – Southern Utah, O/U – Under
Betting Notes:
- Northern Colorado ranks 16th in three pointers attempted per game (28.0) while Southern Utah ranks 238th (19.0).
- The Thunderbirds rank 38th in rebounds allowed per game (31.9) while the Bears rank 71st (33.3).
- Northern Colorado allows the second-fewest assists per game (8.0) while Southern Utah ranks 29th (10.4).
- The Thunderbirds rank 38th in blocks per game (4.5) while the Bears rank 168th (2.4).
- Northern Colorado ranks eighth in steals allowed per game (4.6) while Southern Utah ranks 81st (6.0).
Bettings Trends:
- During their last five games, the Thunderbirds have scored an average of 74.0 points per game (0.3 below their season average) and allowed an average of 65.0 points per game (0.8 above their season average).
- The Bears’ average margin of victory in their last five games has been 8.8, down from 12.0 for the season.
