Eastern Washington vs Montana 1/6/22 College Basketball Picks, Predictions, Odds

The Montana Grizzlies will travel to Reese Court to take on the Eastern Washington Eagles this Thursday night in College Basketball action.

The Montana Grizzlies won their 2^nd straight game and improved to 10-5 on the season after defeating the Weber State Wildcats, 74-72, this past Saturday. Montana was solid offensively against Weber State and was able to secure the victory after Lonnell Martin Jr. hit a game-winning lay-up with just :03 seconds left in regulation. Montana shot 51.9% from the field & 52.6% from beyond the arc while allowing Weber State to shoot 45.9% from the field & 29.4% from beyond the arc. Leading the way for the Grizzlies was Josh Bannan who had a double-double with 13 points, 10 rebounds, & 2 assists.

On the season, Montana is averaging 73.6 ppg on 45.2% shooting from the field. The Grizzlies are averaging 73.6 ppg on 45.2% shooting from the field. The Grizzlies are averaging 8.1 three-pointers per game on 36.6% shooting from beyond the arc. Offensively, Montana has been led by Josh Bannan (12.3 ppg, 7.9 rpg, 1.3 apg), Robby Beasley III (10.4 ppg, 2.5 rpg, 1.5 apg), Brandon Whitney (9.3 ppg, 1.5 rpg, 2.5 apg), & Cameron Parker (8.1 ppg, 3.7 rpg, 6.5 apg).

Defensively, Montana is holding their opponents to an average of 62.0 ppg on 41.1% shooting from the field. The Grizzlies have a rebound margin of -1.9 and a turnover margin of 4.5.

The Eastern Washington Eagles won their 2^nd straight game and improved to 8-6 on the season after defeating the Northern Arizona Lumberjacks, 78-65, this past Saturday. Eastern Washington was outstanding defensively against Northern Arizona in the 2^nd half and was able to pull away after taking a 61-49 lead with 10:03 left in regulation. Eastern Washington shot 56.4% from the field & 40.0% from beyond the arc while holding Northern Arizona to just 36.1% shooting from the field & 37.5% from beyond the arc. Leading the way for the Eagles was Linton Acliese who had a double-double with 30 points, 11 rebounds, 3 assists, & 1 block.

On the season, Eastern Washington is averaging 75.8 ppg on 43.4% shooting from the field. The Eagles are averaging 8.6 three-pointers per game on 32.5% shooting from beyond the arc. Offensively, Eastern Washington has been led by Steele Venters (17.3 ppg, 4.4 rpg, 1.8 apg, 1.2 spg), Linton Acliese (15.8 ppg, 7.2 rpg, 1.2 apg), Rylan Bergersen (12.9 ppg, 5.4 rpg, 4.3 apg, 1.4 spg), & Angelo Allegri (10.4 ppg, 5.6 rpg, 1.6 apg).

Defensively, Eastern Washington is allowing their opponents to an average of 72.1 ppg on 40.9% shooting from the field. The Eagles have a rebound margin of 4.0 and a turnover margin of -1.4.

The Grizzlies are 4-0 ATS in their last 4 Thursday games, however, are just 1-6 ATS in their last 7 road games. The Eagles are 5-1 ATS in their last 6 games following a TS win and 4-1 ATS in their last 5 home games vs. a team with a road winning % of less than .400.

Montana has been led by their defense which comes into this game ranked t-48^th in scoring defense and have been decent offensively as the Grizzlies currently rank 142^nd in scoring offense & 54^th in 3P-FG%. The Eagles have been led by their offense which ranks 99^th in scoring offense, and although their scoring defense ranks just 261^st, the Eagles do come into this game ranked 107^th in defensive FG%.

Montana has played well as of late, winning 5 of their last 6 games, however, this is a team that is just 1-5 on the road and is facing an Eastern Washington team that I think just has more talent. Eastern Washington generally is a team that can produce plenty of offense at home and as I think the Eagles will be able to pull away in the 2^nd half, I’m taking Eastern Washington to cover this small spread. Good Luck!