Montana State vs Northern Arizona 2/12/22 College Basketball Picks, Predictions, Odds

The Northern Arizona Lumberjacks will travel to Worthington Arena to take on the Montana State Bobcats this Saturday afternoon in College Basketball action.

The Northern Arizona Lumberjacks snapped a 2-game losing streak and improved to 9-15 on the season after defeating the Montana Grizzlies, 72-67 (OT), this past Thursday. Northern Arizona was able to fight back from a 61-56 deficit with just 3:07 left in regulation to force OT and the Lumberjacks were able to pull away after a Carson Towt dunk gave Northern Arizona a 71-67 lead with just :18 seconds left in regulation. Northern Arizona shot 43.1% from the field & 33.3% from beyond the arc while holding Montana to just 38.0% shooting from the field & 21.1% from beyond the arc. Leading the way for the Lumberjacks was Nik Mains who had 21 points, 6 rebounds, 1 assist, & 1 steal.

On the season, Northern Arizona is averaging 69.0 ppg on 41.9% shooting from the field. The Lumberjacks are averaging 9.0 three-pointers per game on 37.1% shooting from beyond the arc. Offensively, has been led by Jalen Cone (19.1 ppg, 3.0 rpg, 3.8 apg), Nik Mains (12.2 ppg, 5.1 rpg, 1.0 apg), Keith Haymon (9.3 ppg, 3.2 rpg), & Carson Towt (8.3 ppg, 9.0 rpg, 3.8 apg).

Defensively, Northern Arizona is allowing their opponents to average 73.3 ppg on 45.2% shooting from the field. The Lumberjacks have a rebound margin of 2.8 and a turnover margin of -3.5.

The Montana State Bobcats won their 10^th straight game and improved to 19-5 on the season after defeating the Portland State Vikings, 77-74, this past Thursday. Montana State allowed Portland State to fight back from a 55-44 deficit to tie the game late, however, the Bobcats were able to avoid the upset loss after a RaeQuan Battle jumper gave the Bobcats the lead for good with :22 seconds left in regulation. Montana State shot 50.9% from the field & 57.9% from beyond the arc while allowing Portland State to shoot 47.0% from the field & 17.6% from beyond the arc. Leading the way for the Bobcats was Abdul Mohamed who had 16 points, 8 rebounds, 1 assist, & 2 steals.

On the season, Montana State is averaging 76.6 ppg on 46.8% shooting from the field. The Bobcats are averaging 8.5 three-pointers per game on 38.2% shooting from beyond the arc. Offensively, Montana State has been led by Jubrile Belo (13.2 ppg, 6.8 rpg, 1.8 bpg), Xavier Bishop (12.3 ppg, 3.5 rpg, 4.5 apg, 1.0 spg), Amin Adamu (11.7 ppg, 4.5 rpg, 1.6 apg), & Abdul Mohamed (8.7 ppg, 6.8 rpg, 1.8 apg).

Defensively, Montana State is allowing their opponents to average 67.5 ppg on 41.6% shooting from the field. The Bobcats have a rebound margin of 4.3 and a turnover margin of 0.4.

The Lumberjacks are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 games overall, however, are just 1-4 ATS in their last 5 Saturday games. The Bobcats are 6-1-1 ATS in their last 8 games following a ATS loss & 4-1 ATS in their last 5 Saturday games.

Northern Arizona is coming off an impressive road win against a solid Montana team, however, this is still a team that is ranked just 235^th in scoring offense, 284^th in scoring defense, & 290^th in defensive FG% and had recent double-digit road losses to Southern Utah & Northern Colorado. Montana State is 9-1 at home this season and as their offense, which ranks 62^nd in scoring offense, 49^th in FG%, & 18^th in 3P-FG%, should have no problem putting up plenty of points in this one, I’m taking Montana State to cover this large home spread. Good Luck!