Oakland vs Youngstown State 1/1/22 College Basketball Picks, Predictions, Odds
Youngstown State Penguins (8-4) vs. Oakland Golden Grizzlies (8-4)
January 1, 2022 3:00 pm EDT
The Line: Oakland Golden Grizzlies -9.5 ; Over/Under: 140.5
(Get latest betting odds)
The Youngstown State Penguins and the Oakland Golden Grizzlies meet Saturday in college basketball action from Athletics Center O’rena. Youngstown State sits at 8-4 so far. The Penguins took out Defiance in their last game. As for Oakland, they’re currently 8-4 as well and fresh off a win versus Robert Morris. Check back all season long for free college basketball picks at Sports Chat Place.
Youngstown State hit a 3-3 start to the year with losses to Penn State, SIU Edwardsville and Niagara along the way. After a four-game win streak, the Penguins lost to West Virginia then blew out Defiance in their last outing on Wednesday.
In the December 29 matchup versus Defiance, the Penguins didn’t have much trouble. Youngstown State jumped out to a 49-21 halftime lead in a 96-56 blowout win. William Dunn led the way on 14 points and nine rebounds.
Over on the Oakland side, their year began at 7-2. The losses during that stretch were to West Virginia and Alabama. The Grizzlies would then take losses to Bowling Green and Michigan State before a win versus Robert Morris on Thursday.
Matched up against Robert Morris, the Grizzlies utilized a 38-23 advantage in the second half for the 79-61 victory. Jamal Cain posted 22 points with 14 rebounds, and Jalen Moore also doubled up on 15 points and 10 assists.
The Grizzlies are 6-1 ATS in their last seven at home and 10-4 ATS in their last 14 Saturday games. The over is 23-8 in Oakland’s last 31 after an ATS win.
Meanwhile, the Penguins are 4-1 ATS in their last five road games and 3-1-1 ATS in their last five Saturday games. The over is 5-2 in Youngstown State’s last seven after a straight-up win.
PICK: I’m going to try Oakland. This should be a pretty fun matchup regardless, though. The Grizzlies have been scoring very well lately—even in their losses. Oakland has hit 72 or more points in each of the last seven games, notching a 5-2 record during that time.
As for Youngstown State, they had a rough offensive game versus West Virginia but otherwise have been scoring quite well lately themselves. I expect this one to be pretty competitive and high-scoring, with Oakland eventually eking out a cover.
