Northern Colorado vs Idaho State 2/21/22 College Basketball Picks, Predictions, Odds

The Idaho State Bengals will travel to Bank of Colorado Arena to take on the Northern Colorado Bears this Monday night in College Basketball action.

The Idaho State Bengals dropped to 6-19 on the season after being defeated by the Sacramento State Hornets, 80-75, this past Saturday. Idaho State led by a 37-33 margin at halftime, however, the Bengals struggled defensively against Sacrament State and Idaho State could not fight back after the Hornets took a 72-65 lead with 1:28 left in regulation. Idaho State shot 47.4% from the field & 45.5% from beyond the arc while allowing Sacramento State to shoot 57.7% from the field & 64.3% from beyond the arc. Leading the way for the Bengals was Liam Sorensen who had 24 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists, & 1 steal.

On the season, Idaho State is averaging 64.0 ppg on 41.7% shooting from the field. The Bengals are averaging 7.2 three-pointers per game on 31.2% shooting from beyond the arc. Offensively, Idaho State has been led by Tarik Cool (12.1 ppg, 3.2 rpg, 2.7 apg), Malik Porter (7.5 ppg, 4.3 rpg), Brayden Parker (7.4 ppg, 2.6 rpg), & Austin Smellie (7.0 ppg, 3.2 rpg, 1.9 apg).

Defensively, Idaho State is allowing their opponents to an average of 71.4 ppg on 46.8% shooting from the field. The Bengals have a rebound margin of -0.9 and a turnover margin of -2.4.

The Northern Colorado Bears improved to 15-12 on the season after defeating the Weber State Wildcats, 83-79 (OT), this past Saturday. Northern Colorado was able to fight back from a 32-25 halftime deficit to force OT and pulled away in the extra period after a Matt Johnson II lay-up gave the Bears a 77-72 lead with just :56 seconds left in OT. Northern Colorado shot 44.8% from the field & 42.9% from beyond the arc while allowing Weber State to shoot 43.9% from the field & 30.4% from beyond the arc. Leading the way for the Bears was Matt Johnson II who had 25 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists, & 2 steals.

On the season, Northern Colorado is averaging 78.0 ppg on 47.6% shooting from the field. The Bears are averaging 10.5 three-pointers per game on 385% shooting from beyond the arc. Offensively, Northern Colorado has been led by Daylen Kountz (20.7 ppg, 4.0 rpg, 2.7 apg, 1.0 spg), Matt Johnson II (13.1 ppg, 3.4 rpg, 4.0 apg), Dru Kuxhausen (11.9 ppg, 2.4 rpg, 1.1 apg), Bodie Hume (11.3 ppg, 5.9 rpg, 1.2 apg, 1.0 bpg).

Defensively, Northern Colorado is allowing their opponents to an average of 76.1 ppg on 45.4% shooting from the field. The Bears have a rebound margin of 0.6 and a turnover margin of -2.3.

The Bengals are 4-0 ATS in their last 4 road games & 5-2 ATS in their last 7 games overall. The Bears are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 games overall, however, are just 3-7 ATS in their last 10 games vs. a team with a winning % below .400.

Idaho State has struggled on both ends of the court this season (324^th in scoring offense; 242^nd in scoring defense) and have just a 1-12 record on the road, however, the Bengals have played much better as of late which includes a win at home against Northern Colorado last Friday. Northern Colorado has been great offensively this season, however, the defense ranks just 320^th in scoring defense & 293^rd in defensive FG% and as Idaho State was competitive in a close 75-72 loss at Eastern Washington recently, I think the Bengals will be able to do enough with the double-digit points to get us a cover. Good Luck!