The Idaho Vandals will travel to The Nest to take on the Sacramento State Hornets this Thursday night in College Basketball action.
The Idaho Vandals won their 3rd straight game and improved to 8-18 on the season after defeating the Eastern Washington Eagles, 83-80, this past Saturday. Idaho was outstanding on the offensive end against Eastern Washington and was able to take the lead for good after a Tenner Christensen layup gave the Vandals an 82-80 lead with :32 seconds left in regulation. Idaho shot 54.4% from the field & 38.9% from beyond the arc while allowing Eastern Washington to shoot 50.0% from the field & 33.3% from beyond the arc. Leading the way for the Vandals was Rashad Smith who had 22 points, 4 rebounds, 1 assist, & 1 steal.
On the season, Idaho is averaging 73.8 ppg on 44.2% shooting from the field. The Vandals are averaging 8.2 three-pointers per game on 37.4% shooting from beyond the arc. Offensively, Idaho has been led by Mikey Dixon (17.0 ppg, 3.0 rpg, 1.8 apg), Trevante Anderson (13.8 ppg, 4.9 rpg, 3.7 apg), Rashad Smith (10.2 ppg, 5.4 rpg, 1.3 apg), & Tanner Christensen (8.7 ppg, 6.1 rpg, 1.0 apg).
Defensively, Idaho is allowing their opponents to average 80.1 ppg on 48.0% shooting from the field. The Vandals have a rebound margin of -2.4 and a turnover margin of -2.7.
The Sacramento State Hornets snapped a 6-game losing streak and improved to 7-16 on the season after defeating the Idaho Vandals, 80-75, this past Saturday. Sacramento State was outstanding on the offensive end against Idaho State and was able to pull away late after taking a 72-65 lead with 1:28 left in regulation. Sacramento State shot 57.7% from the field & 64.3% from beyond the arc while allowing Idaho State to shoot 47.4% from the field & 45.5% from beyond the arc. Leading the way for the Hornets was Bryce Fowler who had 29 points, 9 rebounds, 3 assists, & 1 steal.
On the season, Sacramento State is averaging 64.1 ppg on 42.2% shooting from the field. The Hornets are averaging 6.7 three-pointers per game on 35.1% shooting from beyond the arc. Offensively, Sacramento State has been led by Bryce Fowler (17.5 ppg, 5.5 rpg, 4.1 apg, 1.6 spg), Zach Chappell (11.3 ppg, 3.4 rpg, 2.0 apg, 1.3 spg), William FitzPatrick (9.1 ppg, 2.8 rpg, 1.3 apg), & Cameron Wilbon (8.6 ppg, 4.9 rpg, 1.1 apg, 1.1 spg).
Defensively, Sacramento State is allowing their opponents to average 70.7 ppg on 45.5% shooting from the field. The Hornets have a rebound margin of -5.0 and a turnover margin of 0.7.
The Vandals are 6-1 ATS in their last 7 road games vs. a team with a losing home record & 5-3 ATS in their last 8 overall games. The Hornets are 0-6 ATS in their last 6 home games & 1-7 ATS in their last 8 games following a straight up win.
Idaho has been on an amazing run over the past three games, with home wins over Weber State, Montana, & Eastern Washington, however, this is still a team that is just 1-10 on the road this season and has a defense that ranks just 345th in scoring defense & 344th in defensive FG%. Sacramento State has struggled on both ends of the court this season, however, the Hornets are coming off a strong offensive performance against Idaho State and as the Hornets were competitive against Idaho in a 73-72 OT loss in late January, I think the play here is to take the Hornets to cover this small spread. Good Luck!