We walked a tightrope last night with a Missouri State team that had been unable to seal the deal on the road this season. Coach Dana Ford had them ready to play and it showed as they knocked off a tough Illinois State team who defends their home court quite well. We will both take the much-needed win, but it’s time to grind ahead with the Road Dog Report for 1/8/2020.
(821) Omaha @ North Dakota -3
A pair of 2-0 teams in the Summit League square off as the 9-8 Omaha Mavericks face the 8-8 North Dakota Fighting Hawks. Omaha is on a four-game win streak and should have extra confidence knowing that they’ve had this North Dakota team’s number, beating them six times in a row. The Hawks are on a nice 4-1 run themselves and look to stay undefeated in league play.
The Mavericks have an upperclassmen core led by 6’8″, 240-pound Matt Pile. He is their inside presence who needs to be a force against a North Dakota team with some serious length. Pile is a double-double threat who excels at the high-percentage shot but can be a liability at the free throw line. He is joined by a pair of senior guards in JT Gibson and KJ Robinson that play smart, clean basketball.
When it comes to the Hawks, know this name: Marlon Stewart. North Dakota’s senior guard has been on an absolute tear lately, posting a career-high 29 points against IPFW on Sunday. He is averaging just over 23 points per game over the last four games and is a big reason why this Hawks team is in great form.
Stewart is joined by three other key threats in Filip Rebraca, Kienan Walter, and freshman De’Sean Allen-Eikens. Allen-Eikens is a versatile 6’6″ guard who has been extremely productive this season. Rebraca is a monster on the glass, but both he and Walter yield size to Omaha’s Matt Pile. The Hawks have plenty of scoring threats and both squads can be dangerous from the perimeter. Will the intangible of the Mavericks’ upperclassmen leadership outweigh what appears to be a higher level of talent from this year’s North Dakota team?
On the Money
Omaha is a solid 9-7 ATS, but their success on the road has been limited to 3-7 ATS. They’ve failed to cover their last four on the road, including a beatdown at Eastern Washington in their last game away from home. However, they managed to cover three straight at home dealing with short numbers.
North Dakota’s 5-9 ATS includes 1-1 ATS at home, and are a perfect 4-0 on their home court. The Hawks have gone 3-0 straight up as favorites and just dominated IPFW by 14 points laying 4.5 points. Both teams are in good form coming into tonight’s matchup, and I like the +3 with Omaha behind their experience and track record against this North Dakota team.
(849) California Baptist @ Cal State Bakersfield -1
Western Athletic Conference foes 10-5 California Baptist Lancers meet up with the 7-9 Cal State Bakersfield Roadrunners for the nightcap on the Road Dog Report for 1/8/2020. Baptist just had their seven-game win streak broken up by a hot New Mexico State team on Saturday. The Lancers made a splash in their first year as a D1 program and appear to be following it up this year quite nicely. Bakersfield has been strong at home with a 6-3 mark, including winning four of their last five at the Icardo Center.
Cal Baptist’s experienced squad is anchored by guard Milan Acquaah, who has been a scoring beast this season. Acquaah fills up the box score nightly despite only shooting 37.2% from the field. He moves the ball around and gets to the free throw line regularly (74-87 from the stripe). Guys like Ferron Flavors, Jr. and De’Jon Davis benefit from Acquaah’s savvy, although Davis has been less of a scoring threat lately. Flavors is a very good shooter and Davis has stayed relevant by getting his share of rebounds.
The Roadrunners have thrived when keeping their opponents under 60 points. I have my doubts whether that is possible tonight against a Lancers team that pressures you with 38% three-point shooting and 78% free-throw shooting. Guard Czar Perry is the hub of Bakersfield’s offense, moving the ball to guys like Taze Moore. Moore has been productive more often than not, and needs to contribute significantly tonight. Can 6’8″, 265-pound freshman Shawn Stith step up and take advantage of the foul-prone Davis? The Roadrunners are impactful on the offensive glass and have thrived there this season. They must gain an edge with second-chance points to offset their Achille’s heel: putting their opponents on the line way too often.
On the Money
Cal Baptist has exceeded market expectations with a 9-4 ATS record, including a 2-1 ATS mark on the road. They haven’t played on the road since December 7th, so we will see if the change in venue impacts this confident team. Bakersfield’s 2-4 home ATS mark is consistent with their overall 4-9 ATS record. However, Saturday’s 69-62 win as 2.5-point favorites versus Grand Canyon should remind us that they are not a pushover at the Icardo Center. The +1 should be irrelevant, but I’ll take the insurance point behind the better Cal Baptist offense tonight.
That puts a bow on the BetCrushers’ Road Dog Report for 1/8/2020. Stay up to date with our NFL and college basketball handicapping by following us on Twitter or subscribing to email alerts below:
