Idaho State Bengals (14-19) vs. Montana Grizzlies (22-10)
March 12, 2024 11:00 pm EDT
The Line: Montana Grizzlies -5.5; Over/Under: +163.5
(Get latest betting odds)
The Idaho State Bengals and the Montana Grizzlies meet Tuesday in the college basketball Big Sky Tournament semifinals at the Idaho Central Arena. We will look at this from a betting perspective and determine the best bets for this game. Here’s an Idaho State vs. Montana prediction.
Idaho State Team Preview
The Idaho State Bengals punched their ticket to the semis by virtue of an 83-76 upset win over Northern Colorado last time out. Brayden Parker leads the Bengals in scoring and rebounding with 14.9 PPG and 5.8 RPG while Miguel Tomley has 13.3 PPG with 3 RPG and 2 APG. Maleek Arington has 11.9 PPG with 3.4 RPG and a team-high 4.7 APG to lead the Bengals in assists. Kiree Huie has 11.3 PPG with 5.8 RPG of his own to finish off the scoring in double figures up to this point in the year. As a team, Idaho State is averaging 70.5 PPG on 46.2% shooting from the field, 32.8% from three and 67.6% from the foul line this season.
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Montana Team Preview
The Montana Grizzlies come into the semis after picking up an 87-81 win over Portland State last time out. Aanen Moody leads the Grizzlies in scoring with 16.6 PPG along with 3.2 RPG while Dischon Thomas has 12.2 PPG with 5.6 RPG. Brandon Whitney has 10.3 PPG with a team-high 4.4 APG to lead the Grizzlies in the assist department and to round out the group of double-digit scorers for Montana up to this point in the year. Laolu Oke also has a team-high 7.3 RPG to lead the Grizzlies on the glass. As a team, Montana is averaging 77.3 PPG on 48.3% shooting from the field, 35.8% from three and 80% from the foul line this season.
Idaho State vs. Montana Prediction
I’m on Montana here. I get the case to be made for Idaho State, who has been on quite the run so far in the conference tournament, but Montana’s been the better team and while these Big Sky tournament games have been fairly close for the most part, I think this is where Idaho State’s journey ends. The Grizzlies have a clear path to the championship now and are easily the best team remaining. I think the Grizzlies get it done and get the win and cover to move on to the final.
