Montana State Bobcats vs Washington State Cougars Prediction, 12/18/2020 College Basketball Pick, Tips and Odds

Game: Montana State Bobcats vs Washington State Cougars

Date: Friday, December 18, 2020

Location: Friel Court at Beasley Coliseum in Pullman, WA

TV: PAC12

Odds/Point Spread: Montana State (+5)

The Washington State Cougars (5-0) host the Montana State Bobcats (2-1) at Friel Court at Beasley Coliseum on Friday. Montana State opens this matchup as 5-point underdogs. The over/under has been set at 135.

Montana State comes into this one with a win-loss mark of 2-1 for the season. The Bobcats are shooting 44.1% from downtown (30 of 68) and 80.3% from the charity stripe. They are averaging 91.7 points per contest (12th in D-1) on 51.1% from the floor. They are losing possession via turnover 14.0 times per contest and as a group are committing 21.0 personal fouls every game. As a team, Montana State is grabbing 37.0 boards per contest and has accounted for 48 assists for the campaign, which is 255th in the nation in terms of passing the rock. On the defensive end of the court, the Bobcats are forcing their opponents into 14.3 turnovers per contest while drawing 22.0 personal fouls. They currently rank 50th in D-1 in allowing assists to the opposition with 36 relinquished for the year. The Bobcats are allowing an opponent shooting percentage of 38.4% (71 of 185) and they surrender 30.7 rebounds per game as a squad. They are giving up 39.4% on shots from distance and they are 258th in Division 1 in PPG allowed (75.3).

The Montana State Bobcats faced off with the Yellowstone Christian Centurions and notched a win by a score of 114-74 in their last contest. Montana State ended the game having earned a 54.7% FG percentage (35 out of 64) and made 11 of their 25 three-point attempts. At the charity stripe, the Bobcats buried 33 of 38 attempts for a rate of 86.8%. Concerning rebounding, they collected a total of 52 with 13 of them being of the offensive sort. They also doled out 21 assists for this game while having 7 steals and 2 blocks. When it comes to defense, Montana State allowed the other team to shoot 54.7% from the field on 35 of 64. Yellowstone Christian dished out 10 dimes and 10 steals for this game. Furthurmore, the Centurions snagged 19 rebounds (4 offensive, 15 defensive) and earned 2 blocks. Yellowstone Christian ended up going 63.0% at the charity stripe by making 17 of 27 shots. They made 13 out of their 29 attempts from 3-point range.

Kellen Tynes is a player who saw a lot of action for this contest. He recorded 16 points on 6 of 10 shooting. He was on the court for 33 mins played and collected 6 rebounds. Tynes shot 60.0% from the field and also dished out 6 assists. Another guy that saw a lot of time on the hardwood in this contest for the Bobcats was Nick Gazelas. He grabbed 2 rebounds and collected 2 assists. He ended up shooting 44.4% from the field for this game by connecting on 4-of-9 (12 points). Overall, Gazelas saw the court for 31 minutes.

Washington State has a record of 5-0 for the season. As an offensive team, the Cougars are connecting on 38.0% from the floor, which ranks them 327th in the nation. Washington State has accounted for 316 points this season (63.2 per contest) and they snag 39.0 rebounds per contest. They are earning an assist 12.0 times per game (257th in D-1) and they are turning it over 14.6 times per game. The Cougars have committed 17.0 fouls per contest and they go 67.3% from the charity stripe. The Cougars defensively are ranked 25th in college basketball in points given up per game with 58.6. They are forcing their opponents into 14.8 turnovers per game and allow teams to shoot 34.8% from the floor (14th in college hoops). The Washington State defense gives up 28.1% on 3-point attempts (32 of 114) and opponents are making 72.1% of their shots from the free throw line. They give up 10.2 dimes and 38.4 rebounds every game, which ranks them 57th and 256th in the nation.

When they last stepped on the hardwood, the Washington State Cougars took home the win by a final score of 69-60 when they faced the Portland State Vikings. The Cougars were able to corral 29 defensive boards and 4 offensive boards for a total of 33 in the game. They rejected 5 shots while recording 5 steals for the matchup. The Vikings committed 22 fouls for the contest which got the Cougars to the free throw line for a total of 24 attempts. They were able to make 14 of those for a rate of 58.3%. In relation to 3-pointers, Washington State knocked down 7 of their 21 attempts (33.3%). When all was said and done, the Cougars finished 24 for 51 from the floor which had them at 47.1%. The Cougars allowed the Vikings to bury 20 of 66 tries from the floor which had them at 30.3% in this matchup. They finished 21.1% from distance by connecting on 4 out of 19 and ended up shooting 16 out of 18 from the charity stripe (88.9%). In relation to how they attacked the glass, Washington State permitted Portland State to snag 35 in total (13 on the offensive glass).

Andrej Jakimovski pitched in for the Cougars for this contest. He made 4 out of 12 for this contest for a field goal percentage of 33.3%, which got him 12 points. Jakimovski collected 7 rebounds in his 34 mins and had 2 dimes for this game. Someone else that played a role for Washington State was Noah Williams. He accumulated 18 points in his 32 minutes played via 8 out of 12 from the floor for this contest. Williams ended up shooting 66.7% from the field and also earning 2 assists and 5 boards.

Who will win tonight's college basketball game against the spread?

Josh Schonwald's Pick: Take Montana State (+5)

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