The No. 1 seed Southern Utah Thunderbirds (19-3) are favored by 7 points in the Big Sky Tournament against the No. 8 seed Northern Colorado Bears (11-10) on Thursday at CenturyLink Arena, beginning at 1:00 PM ET. The winner takes another step toward an automatic berth in the NCAA Tournament bracket.
The betting insights and predictions in this article reflect betting data from DraftKings as of March 11, 2021, 2:10 AM ET. See table below for current betting odds and CLICK HERE to bet at DraftKings Sportsbook.
Best Betting Odds
Computer Picks
Pick ATS:
Thunderbirds (-7)
The DraftKings line for this game has the Thunderbirds favored by seven, while the model predicts they’ll win by slightly more (8.2 points).
Pick OU:
Over (143)
The model’s predicted total (144.0 points) and the DraftKings set total (143 points) are virtually the same for this contest.
Prediction: Southern Utah 76, Northern Colorado 68
Predictions are calculated by a data-driven algorithm (raw power score) that ranks head-to-head matchup results within a closed network of games. Prediction confidence is determined by the delta between each team’s raw power score.
Examining the Over/Under
- The Thunderbirds have an average implied point total of 75.9 this season, which is 0.9 points higher than their implied total in Thursday’s game (75).
- So far this season, Southern Utah has scored more than its implied point total for this matchup (75) 17 times.
- The average implied point total on the season for the Bears (71.8) is 3.8 more points than the team’s implied total in this matchup (68).
- Northern Colorado has scored more than 68 points 11 times this season.
Implied totals are projected point totals for each team based on totals and spreads set by sportsbooks.
Southern Utah and Northern Colorado Records ATS
| ATS Record | ATS Record Against 7+ Point Spread | Over/Under Record (O-U-P) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderbirds | 11-5 | 3-3 | 11-5 |
| Bears | 9-8 | 2-2 | 7-10 |
Against The Spread (ATS) records are only reflective of games that had odds on them.
Betting Tips – Shooting Stats
- The Thunderbirds make 47.8% of their shots from the field this season, which is 3.3 percentage points higher than the Bears have allowed to their opponents (44.5%).
- Southern Utah has an 8-2 record against the spread and a 14-1 straight-up record in games it shoots better than 44.5% from the field.
- Northern Colorado has a 7-3 record against the spread and a 9-5 record overall when allowing its opponents to hit more than 47.8% of their shots from the field.
- The Bears are shooting 45% from the field, 2.6% higher than the 42.4% the Thunderbirds’ opponents have shot this season.
- Northern Colorado is 6-3 against the spread and 10-2 overall when shooting better than 42.4% from the field.
- When opponents of Southern Utah shoot over 45% from the field, it is 7-1 against the spread and 12-1 overall.
- The Thunderbirds are knocking down 33.7% of their three-point shots this season, 4.3% higher than the 29.4% the Bears allow opponents to shoot from deep.
- Southern Utah has a 9-2 record against the spread and a 14-1 record overall when the team connects on more than 29.4% of its shots from three-point range.
- Northern Colorado has gone 8-6 overall and has a 7-4 record against the spread in games this season when its opponents shoot better than 33.7% from downtown.
- The Bears are making 38.5% of their shots from three-point distance, which is 5.8 percentage points higher than the 32.7% the Thunderbirds’ are averaging on the season.
- Northern Colorado is 7-6 against the spread and 10-5 overall when shooting over 32.7% as a team from three-point range.
- Southern Utah has a 7-1 ATS record and a 12-2 straight-up record in games this season it has shot better than 38.5% from three-point distance.
- When Northern Colorado makes more three-pointers than its opponents, it is 8-6 against the spread and 10-8 overall. When Southern Utah is out-shot from deep by its opponents, it is 3-2 ATS and 5-1 straight up.
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