The Montana State Bobcats (8-7, 1-1 Big Sky) and Northern Colorado Bears (5-9, 0-2) meet Thursday in a Big Sky tussle with opening tip at Bank of Colorado Arena at 8 p.m. ET. Below, we analyze Tipico Sportsbook’s lines around the _Montana State vs. Northern Colorado odds, and make our expert college basketball picks, predictions and bets.
Montana State failed to cover as a 6-point favorite Saturday in a 70-67 home loss to Eastern Washington. The against-the-spread (ATS) loss was the Bobcats’ first since Nov. 26. Boasting a solid inside game on offense and a decent all-around defense, MSU is 8-4-1 ATS overall.
The Bears are 0-3 straight up and 0-3 ATS since Dec. 20. Northern Colorado has lost 4 straight games overall, and a shaky defense has been the culprit. The Bears have allowed 80-plus points in 3 of those losses and for the season they have allowed 80.5 PPG, which ranks 354th out of 363 Div. 1 teams.
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Montana 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 10:54 a.m. ET.
- Moneyline: Montana State -145 (bet $145 to win $100) | Northern Colorado +115 (bet $100 to win $115)
- Against the spread (ATS): Montana State -2.5 (-110) | Northern Colorado +2.5 (-110)
- Over/Under (O/U): 147.5 (O: -110 | U: -110)
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Montana State at Northern Colorado picks and predictions
Prediction
Montana State 74, Northern Colorado 72
Moneyline
PASS. Although it’s almost tempting to take a flyer on Northern Colorado at plus-money.
Against the spread
Montana State is the lean in a vacuum and a slight betting lean at this number. But a better tag could’ve been had before the UNC slide, and there is some regression likely due for a defense that has been torched by mid-range jump shots.
STEER CLEAR.
Over/Under
The strongest play in this game is the UNDER 147.5 (-110). Its only worth a partial-unit play, but a number a point closer to 150 would be worth full-fledged action.
Both teams have played strong offensive teams so far, at least relative to their overall slates. Northern Colorado 3-pointers (37.1% accuracy rate) could endanger this play, but the Bears have been a bit off from distance in a couple of recent games. A slower MSU pace should add to the effort to slow UNC triples.
The Under is 4-0 in the Bobcats’ last 4 overall. And the Under is 5-1 in MSU’s last 6 against opponents with a losing record.
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