Youngstown State vs Wright State 1/15/22 College Basketball Picks, Predictions, Odds

The Wright State Raiders will travel to the Beeghly Center to take on the Youngstown State Penguins this Saturday night in College Basketball action.

The Wright State Raiders won their 7^th straight game and improved to 9-7 on the season after defeating the Robert Morris Colonials, 75-73, this past Thursday. Wright State trailed by a 71-67 margin with 4:01 left in regulation, however, the Raiders defense was outstanding down the stretch and the Raiders were able to take the lead for good after a pair of Tanner Holden FT’s gave Wright State a 72-71 lead with :51 seconds left in regulation. Wright State shot 50.9% from the field & 37.5% from beyond the arc while allowing Robert Morris to shoot 50.8% from the field & 37.5% from beyond the arc. Leading the way for the Raiders was Grant Basile who had 23 points, 8 rebounds, 3 assists, & 3 blocks.

On the season, Wright State is averaging 74.7 ppg on 46.2% shooting from the field. The Raiders are averaging 5.6 three-pointers per game on 29.6% shooting from beyond the arc. Offensively, Wright State has been led by Tanner Holden (19.8 ppg, 6.3 rpg, 3.0 apg, 1.3 spg), Grant Basile (17.8 ppg, 8.8 rpg, 1.8 apg, 1.6 bpg), Trey Calvin (13.9 ppg, 2.5 rpg, 2.3 apg, 1.2 spg), & Tim Finke (9.1 ppg, 5.1 rpg, 1.8 apg, 1.1 spg).

Defensively, Wright State is allowing their opponents to average 74.1 ppg on 45.2% shooting from the field. The Raiders have a rebound margin of -1.8 and a turnover margin of 0.2.

The Youngstown State Penguins lost their 3^rd straight game and dropped to 9-8 on the season after being defeated by the Northern Kentucky Norse, 68-67, this past Thursday. Youngstown State led by a 28-24 margin at halftime, however, the Penguins struggled defensively in the 2^nd half and could not fight back after Northern Kentucky took a 65-59 lead with 1:30 left in regulation. Youngstown State shot 35.7% from the field & 33.3% from beyond the arc while allowing Northern Kentucky to shoot 39.3% from the field & 34.8% from beyond the arc. Leading the way for the Penguins was Tevin Olison who had 18 points, 3 rebounds, & 1 assist.

On the season, Youngstown State is averaging 72.7 ppg on 43.7% shooting from the field. The Penguins are averaging 7.5 three-pointers per game on 32.9% shooting from beyond the arc. Offensively, Youngstown State has been led by Michael Akuchie (13.1 ppg, 7.5 rpg, 1.8 apg), Tevin Olison (12.5 ppg, 4.6 rpg, 1.2 apg), Dwayne Cohill (10.5 ppg, 4.2 rpg, 1.8 apg), & Shemar Rathan-Mayes (8.6 ppg, 2.4 rpg, 1.6 apg).

Defensively, Youngstown State is allowing their opponents to average 68.6 ppg on 41.7% shooting from the field. The Penguins have a rebound margin of 3.6 and a turnover margin of -0.3.

The Raiders are 4-16 ATS in their last 20 games and just 3-8 ATS in their last 11 games vs. Youngstown State. The Penguins are 1-5 ATS in their last 6 games and just 1-7 ATS in their last 8 home games.

Wright State has been led by their offense which ranks 123^rd in scoring offense & 86^th in FG%, however, the Raiders have really struggled slowing down opponents this season and currently rank just 290^th in scoring defense & 294^th in defensive FG%. Youngstown State has been decent on both ends of the court this season and come into this game ranked 161^st in scoring offense, 173^rd in scoring defense, & 134^th in defensive FG%.

Wright State has been able to reel off 7 straight wins, however, the Raiders are not as good of a team as we’ve seen in previous years and has taken advantage of playing the weaker teams of the Horizon League to start conference play. Wright State is just 3-3 on the road this season and as I think Youngstown State is going to have plenty of success against a Wright State defense that has struggled giving up points, I think Youngstown State snaps the Wright State winning streak and wins this pick-em. Good Luck!