Northern Kentucky vs Wright State 3/8/22 College Basketball Picks, Predictions, Odds

The 4-seed Wright State Raiders & 3-seed Northern Kentucky Norse will square off at Indiana Farmers Coliseum in the KEEPS Horizon League Championship this Tuesday night.

The 4-seed Wright State Raiders improved to 20-3 on the season after defeating the 1-seed Cleveland State Vikings, 82-67, this past Monday night. Wright State was outstanding on the defensive end against Cleveland State and was able to pull away for the victory after taking a 63-48 lead with 5:51 left in regulation. Wright State shot 49.0% from the field & 50.0% from beyond the arc while holding Cleveland State to just 39.7% shooting from the field & 15.0% from beyond the arc. Leading the way for the Raiders was Grant Basile who had a double-double with 27 points, 11 rebounds, 4 assists, & 4 blocks.

On the season, Wright State is averaging 75.6 ppg on 46.5% shooting from the field. The Raiders are averaging 6.4 three-pointers per game on 32.7% shooting from beyond the arc. Offensively, Wright State has been led by Tanner Holden (19.8 ppg, 7.2 rpg, 2.6 apg, 1.3 spg), Grant Basile (18.5 ppg, 8.7 rpg, 2.0 apg, 1.6 bpg), Trey Calvin (14.1 ppg, 3.2 rpg, 3.3 apg, 1.5 spg), & Tim Finke (8.5 ppg, 5.2 rpg, 2.6 apg).

Defensively, Wright State is allowing their opponents to average 71.1 ppg on 44.8% shooting from the field. The Raiders have a rebound margin of 1.6 and a turnover margin of 0.5.

The 3-seed Northern Kentucky Norse improved to 20-11 on the season after defeating the 2-seed Purdue Fort Wayne Mastodons, 57-43, this past Monday night. Northern Kentucky was incredible on the defensive end against Purdue Fort Wayne and was able to pull away in the 2^nd half after taking a 40-26 lead with 12:10 left in regulation. Northern Kentucky shot 39.3% from the field & 26.3% from beyond the arc while holding Purdue Wayne to 28.8% shooting from the field & 15.0% from beyond the arc. Leading the way for the Norse was Marques Warrick who had 19 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assits, & 2 steals.

On the season, Northern Kentucky is averaging 69.9 ppg on 42.6% shooting from the field. The Norse are averaging 8.9 three-pointers per game on 34.4% shooting from beyond the arc. Offensively, Wright State has been led by Marques Warrick (16.4 ppg, 3.0 rpg, 2.3 apg, 1.2 spg), Trevon Faulkner (11.8 ppg, 3.5 rpg, 1.5 apg, 1.0 spg), Sam Vinson (11.5 ppg, 4.4 rpg, 3.4 apg, 2.1 spg), & Adrian Nelson (6.8 ppg, 7.5 rpg).

Defensively, Wright State is allowing their opponents to average 71.1 ppg on 44.8% shooting from the field. The Raiders have a rebound margin of 1.6 and a turnover margin of 0.5.

The Raiders are 4-0 ATS in their last 4 games vs. a team with a winning straight up record, however, are just 1-4 ATS in their last 5 neutral stie games. The Norse are 4-0 ATS in their last 4 games following a straight up win & 14-2 ATS in their last 16 games overall.

Northern Kentucky defeated Wright State in both of their outing this season as the Norse defeated the Raiders by a 73-63 margin at home in late January and by a 75-71 margin on the road in mid-February.

Wright State pulled off a great win behind a strong offensive performance against Cleveland State, however, the Raiders have struggled all season defensively and come into this game ranked just 230^th in scoring defense & 262^nd in defensive FG%. Northern Kentucky is coming off their most impressive defensive performance of the season against Purdue Fort Wayne, and as I think their defense, which ranks 49^th in scoring defense & 11^th in steals per game gives the Raiders some trouble, I think Northern Kentucky defeated Wright State for the 3^rd time this season and covers this spread. Good Luck!