Less than a year ago, we started BetCrushers in the thick of the college basketball season with a simple Twitter account. We posted our plays with a handful of handicapping nuggets; after all, there’s only so much detail you can give in 280 characters. Months later, we rolled out BetCrushers.com and it’s been upwards ever since. The 2019-20 NCAA basketball season is getting ripe so without further ado, it’s time for the NCAAB Road Dog Report for 12/5/2019!
Northern Illinois @ St. Mary’s (-15)
Today’s Road Dog Report is short and sweet with a limited ten-game card on the Thursday night menu. The MAC’s Northern Illinois Huskies take their 6-2 record on the road to face WCC stalwart, St. Mary’s. The Gaels are perennial powerhouses and have started the 2019-20 campaign with a strong 8-1 mark.
St. Mary’s puts a veteran team of excellent shooters on the floor every night. Three upperclassmen are averaging double-digits in points and the team boasts a FG% that is 13th-best in the NCAA, including the best 3-point shooting percentage. They may not take a ton of shots, but they make an awful lot of them.
We rate the visiting squad slightly above average, mainly due to a lackluster strength of schedule. The Huskies are solid on the boards and have been riding their senior guard Eugene German to a hot 21.4-PPG start. Fellow backcourt mate Trendon Hankerson has been lights-out from beyond the arc (15-23). If this road dog is going to cover the number tonight, they will need to create second-chance points and outmuscle Mattias Tass and Malik Fitts on the defensive boards.
Not Covering the Number
Neither team has been good against the spread in this young season. The Gaels have been a favorite in all eight of their games, yet covered only three of them. In fact, St. Mary’s has covered only one of five games in which they were double-digit favorites – all of which were at home. Northern Illinois has beat the number only twice in their seven bettable games, including both times that they were getting points.
Barring a push, something has to give at McKeon Pavilion tonight. There’s no doubt that the Huskies are outclassed by the WCC heavyweight. But when it comes to the 15 points, you know I’m a taker. Northern Illinois swung-and-missed as 14.5-point dogs at Iowa State on November 12th but have been favorites ever since. They’re a legitimate play as a big dog despite not having much of a chance to snap the Gaels’ six-game win streak by pushing their own to seven.
Ticket: Northern Illinois +15 (floor is +14)
That puts a bow on our Road Dog Report for 12/5/2019. One play locked and loaded, but be sure to keep a lookout for future reports by following us on Twitter or subscribing to email alerts below:
