The Cleveland State Vikings (0-1) and Cincinnati Bearcats (1-0) tangle in a Buckeye State non-conference battle at Fifth Third Arena Thursday at 8 p.m. ET. Below, we analyze Tipico Sportsbook’s lines around the Cleveland State vs. Cincinnati odds, and make our expert college basketball picks, predictions and bets.
Cleveland State lost to DII Notre Dame (Ohio) 72-68 in its Monday night opener at home. Shooting woes plagued the Vikings as CSU went just 4-of-17 (23.5%) on 3-point attempts and 8-of-18 (44.4%) from the free-throw line. The game marked a shaky debut for 1st-year coach Daniyal Robinson.
The Bearcats took down DII Chaminade in their season opener Monday at home. UC outscored the Silverswords 98-55 and logged an effective field-goal mark of 65.6%. Thursday’s game continues a stretch that has Cincinnati playing 3 straight games at home to open the season.
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Cleveland State at Cincinnati odds
Provided by Tipico Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 10:48 a.m. ET.
- Moneyline: Cleveland State +1300 (bet $100 to win $1,300) | Cincinnati -5000 (bet $5,000 to win $100)
- Against the spread (ATS): Cleveland State +22.5 (-108) | Cincinnati -22.5 (-112)
- Over/Under (O/U): 139.5 (O: -108 | U: -112)
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Cleveland State at Cincinnati picks and predictions
Prediction
Cincinnati 81, Cleveland State 62
Moneyline
PASS. Cleveland State is a lean against the number but would only be a play here if the payout came closer to true odds (perhaps a 3-4% proposition, which would be about twice the payout as currently listed).
Against the spread
CSU brings back a decent chunk of team that went 19-8 last season. The Vikings went 0-3 against superior talent in their first 3 games, but that included a game 67-61 loss to a top-15 Ohio State team.
The Bearcats — led by then-1st-year coach Wes Miller — were solid last season cruising in games like this. But the Vikings were just way off the mark in Monday’s game against an inferior opponent. Look for a better showing Thursday.
BACK CLEVELAND STATE +22.5 (-108).
Over/Under
The Over is 9-3 in CSU’s last 12 games. With 2 teams playing at an above-average pace, with plus-side abilities in creating transition looks and free-throw attempts, a total in the mid-140s is probable enough to warrant a play on the OVER 139.5 (-108).
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