The Portland State Vikings (10-14, 4-7 Big Sky) visit the Northern Colorado Bears (8-16, 3-9) on Thursday. Tip from Bank of Colorado Arena is scheduled for 8 p.m. ET (ESPN+). Below, we analyze Tipico Sportsbook’s lines around the Portland State vs. Northern Colorado odds, and make our expert college basketball picks, predictions and bets.
Portland State fell to Eastern Washington 98-88 on Saturday, failing to cover as a 4.5-point home underdog. It is just 4-6 straight up (SU) and 2-8 against the spread (ATS) in its last 10 games. The Vikings are 8-14 ATS on the season.
Northern Colorado destroyed Weber State 88-54 on Monday, easily covering as a 2-point home favorite. The victory broke a 3-game losing skid for NorCo, but it is still just 3-7 SU in its last 10 games. The Bears are 4-6 ATS over that span as they have slipped to 9-14 ATS this season.
Northern Colorado took down Portland State 69-67 to cover as a 5-point road underdog in their first matchup this season on Jan. 14 as the Under (157.5) connected.
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Portland State at Northern Colorado odds
Provided by Tipico Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 5:16 a.m. ET.
- Moneyline (ML): Off the board (OTB)
- Against the spread (ATS): Portland State +4.5 (-110) | Northern Colorado -4.5 (-110)
- Over/Under (O/U): 156.5 (O: -105 | U: -115)
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Portland State at Northern Colorado picks and predictions
Prediction
Northern Colorado 81, Portland State 73
Moneyline
The moneyline was OTB at the time of publication.
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Against the spread
LEAN NORTHERN COLORADO -4.5 (-110).
The Bears seem to have found the spark they were looking for with a 34-point victory on Monday. At 4-3 ATS in their last 7 games and 2-1 ATS in their last 3 home games, NorCo is starting to put the necessary pieces together. The Bears are also 4-0 ATS in their last 4 games following a win of more than 20 points.
The Vikings have been struggling recently with a 0-4 ATS record in their last 4 games and a 0-5 ATS record in their last 5 Thursday games.
Over/Under
As it stands, 156.5 points would be the 2nd-highest closing line in both the Bears’ and Vikings’ last 10 games.
The Under is 5-1 in the Vikings’ last 6 road games following 3 or more consecutive home games and 5-1 in their last 6 games against a team with a winning percentage below .400.
The Under is also 5-1 in the Bears’ last 6 games following a win of 20 or more points.
BET UNDER 156.5 (-115).
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