North Alabama vs Eastern Kentucky 1/11/22 College Basketball Picks, Predictions, Odds

The Eastern Kentucky Colonels will travel to Flowers Hall to take on the North Alabama Lions this Tuesday night in College Basketball action.

The Eastern Kentucky Colonels lost their 2^nd straight game and dropped to 8-8 on the season after being defeated by the Bellarmine Knights, 66-61, this past Saturday. Eastern Kentucky struggled defensively against Bellarmine and could not fight all the way back after taking a 63-50 lead with 6:57 left in regulation. Eastern Kentucky shot 38.6% from the field & 32.4% from beyond the arc while allowing Bellarmine to shoot 50.0% from the field & 40.9% from beyond the arc. Leading the way for the Colonels was Jannson Williams who had 15 points, 1 rebounds, 3 assists, & 1 steal.

On the season, Eastern Kentucky is averaging 82.5 ppg on 42.4% shooting from the field. The Colonels are averaging 12.4 three-pointers per game on 35.0% shooting from beyond the arc. Offensively, Eastern Kentucky has been led by Jannson Williams (12.2 ppg, 5.6 rpg, 1.9 bpg), Devontae Blanton (11.4 ppg, 6.1 rpg, 3.6 apg, 1.1 spg), Cooper Robb (10.4 ppg, 4.4 rpg, 1.9 apg, 1.6 spg), & Michael Moreno (9.6 ppg, 5.9 rpg, 2.1 apg, 1.9 spg).

Defensively, Eastern Kentucky is allowing their opponents to average 71.2 ppg on 43.6% shooting from the field. The Colonels have a rebound margin of -2.0 and a turnover margin of 6.8.

The North Alabama Lions lost their 4^th straight game and dropped to 7-8 on the season after being defeated by the Jacksonville State Gamecocks, 65-55, this past Saturday. North Alabama has no answers on the offensive end for Jacksonville State and could not fight back after the Gamecocks took a 53-42 lead with 9:55 left in regulation. North Alabama shot just 33.3% from the field & 24.0% from beyond the arc while allowing Jacksonville State to shoot 48.9% from the field & 40.0% from beyond the arc. Leading the way for the Lions was Daniel Ortiz who had 20 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist, & 3 steals.

On the season, North Alabama is averaging 74.3 ppg on 40.1% shooting from the field. The Lions are averaging 10.1 three-pointers per game on 34.1% shooting from beyond the arc. Offensively, North Alabama has been led by Daniel Ortiz (10.3 ppg, 2.9 rpg, 1.5 apg, 1.1 spg), C.J. Brim (9.9 ppg, 3.5 rpg, 2.7 apg, 1.2 spg), Jamari Blackmon (9.7 ppg, 2.1 rpg, 2.9 apg, 1.3 spg), & Damian Forrest (4.9 ppg, 6.1 rpg).

Defensively, North Alabama is holding their opponents to an average of 63.1 ppg on 39.1% shooting from the field. The Lions have a rebound margin of -0.7 and a turnover margin of 4.8.

The Colonels are 3-5 ATS in their last 8 games & just 1-4 ATS in their last 5 games following a straight up loss. The Lions are 5-3 ATS in their last 8 games, however, just 1-2 ATS at home this season.

Eastern Kentucky is a team that likes to push the pace and certainly can score the basketball, however, this is a team that really doesn’t shoot the ball that well (ranked 266^th in FG%) and can have trouble slowing down opposing offenses. North Alabama has lost 5 of their last 6 games, however, they have played some tough opponents in Auburn, UCF, & Gonzaga and this is a team that is 5-1 at home and have been decent overall defensively. I think these teams are evenly matched, however, as I trust the North Alabama defense at home more than I do the Eastern Kentucky offense on the road, I’m taking North Alabama and the points. Good Luck!