Oral Roberts vs Denver 12/30/21 College Basketball Picks, Predictions, Odds

The Denver Pioneers will travel to the Mabee Center to take on the Oral Roberts Golden Eagles this Thursday night in College Basketball action.

The Denver Pioneers improved to 5-10 on the season after defeating the St. Thomas – Minnesota Tommies, 75-74, on December 22^nd. Denver trailed by a 44-29 margin at halftime, however, the Pioneers were outstanding offensively in the 2^nd half and was able to pull off the come from behind victory after Touko Tainamo hit a game-winning jumper as time expired. Denver shot 58.7% from the field & 38.9% from beyond the arc while allowing St. Thomas – Minnesota to shoot 44.8% from the field & 34.6% from beyond the arc. Leading the way for the Pioneers was Coban Porter who had 22 points & 3 rebounds.

On the season, Denver is averaging 67.3 ppg on 45.6% shooting from the field. The Pioneers are averaging 6.5 three-pointers per game on 34.6% shooting from beyond the arc. Offensively, Denver has been led by KJ Hunt (16.85 ppg, 4.8 rpg, 3.5 apg, 1.2 spg), Jordan Johnson (11.1 ppg, 2.4 rpg, 2.9 apg), Michael Henn (9.3 ppg, 3.8 rpg, 1.5 apg), & Tevin Smith (8.5 ppg, 3.7 rpg, 1.3 apg).

Defensively, Denver is allowing their opponents to average 71.1 ppg on 43.8% shooting from the field. The Pioneers have a rebound margin of -2.1 and a turnover margin of -1.2.

The Oral Roberts Golden Eagles snapped their 2-game winning streak and dropped to 7-6 on the season after being defeated by the South Dakota State Jackrabbits, 82-76, on December 22^nd. Oral Roberts fought back from a 38-29 halftime deficit to make it a competitive game late, however, the Golden Eagles could not fight back after an 8-0 run gave South Dakota State a 76-68 lead with just :25 seconds left in regulation. Oral Roberts shot 42.5% from the field & 31.0% from beyond the arc while allowing South Dakota State to shoot 52.6% from the field & 37.5% from beyond the arc. Leading the way for the Golden Eagles was Kareem Thompson who had 19 points, 7 rebounds, & 1 assist.

On the season, Oral Roberts is averaging 80.7 ppg on 44.4% shooting from the field. The Golden Eagles are averaging 12.8 three-pointers per game on 38.6% shooting from beyond the arc. Offensively, Oral Roberts has been led by Max Abmas (21.1 ppg, 3.2 rpg, 3.5 apg), DeShang Weaver (10.5 ppg, 4.2 rpg, 1.4 bpg), Trey Phipps (9.6 ppg, 1.5 rpg, 1.5 apg), & Francis Lacis (7.2 ppg, 7.4 rpg, 1.8 apg, 1.5 spg, 1.3 bpg).

Defensively, Oral Roberts is allowing their opponents to an average of 68.3 ppg on 42.5% shooting from the field. The Golden Eagles have a rebound margin of 4.2 and a turnover margin of 1.5.

The Pioneers are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 Thursday games, however, are just 5-11 ATS in their last 16 road games. The Golden Eagles are 5-0 ATS in their last 5 home games & 9-1-1 ATS in their last 11 games following a ATS win.

Denver has won 2 of their last 3 games, however, this is just not a very good basketball team as the Pioneers come into this game ranked just 273^rd in scoring offense, 239^th in scoring defense, & 242^nd in defensive FG%. Oral Roberts has been led by their offense this season which comes into this game ranked 31^st in scoring offense, 168^th in FG%, 2^nd in three-pointers made per game, & 21^st in 3P-FG%.

Denver is 0-7 on the road this season and it’s not going to get much better against an Oral Roberts team that has one of the best scorers in all of College Basketball in Max Abmas. Oral Roberts is 5-1 at home and has a scoring margin of 12.4 and I think the Golden Eagles have no issue pulling away in the 2^nd half to cover this large home spread. Good Luck!