Northern Kentucky vs. Cleveland State Horizon League Tournament Prediction: Expert Picks, Odds, Stats & Best Bets – Tuesday, March 7, 2023

The Horizon League championship will be decided Tuesday as the No. 4 seed Northern Kentucky Norse (21-12, 14-6 Horizon League) play the No. 3 Cleveland State Vikings (21-12, 14-6 Horizon League) at 7:00 PM, live on ESPN. Northern Kentucky is listed as a 2-point favorite to win the contest and claim the conference title and an automatic berth in the NCAA Tournament bracket. The matchup has an over/under of 126 points.

Northern Kentucky vs. Cleveland State Odds

• Northern Kentucky odds to win: -139
• Cleveland State odds to win: +118
• Spread: Northern Kentucky (-2)
• Total: 126

Northern Kentucky vs. Cleveland State Promo Codes

Game Time and Information

• Date: Tuesday, March 7, 2023
• Time: 7:00 PM ET
• TV: ESPN
• Where: Indianapolis, Indiana
• Venue: Indiana Farmers Coliseum

Who Will Win Northern Kentucky vs. Cleveland State?

Northern Kentucky and Cleveland State Betting Trends, Records Against the Spread

Northern Kentucky has a 9-10 record against the spread when favored by 2 points or more this season.

When it has played as at least a 2-point underdog this season, Cleveland State is 7-5 against the spread.

These teams average a combined 140.4 points per game, 14.4 more points than the over/under of 126 set for this game.

Opponents of the two teams average a combined 5.8 more points per game (131.8) than this matchup’s over/under of 126 points.

The average point total for Northern Kentucky’s games this season is six more points than the over/under of 126 in this matchup.

Vikings games this season have averaged a total of 140.2 points, 14.2 more than the point total in this matchup.

The Norse are 14-17-0 against the spread this season.

The Vikings have gone 15-16-0 ATS this season.

Northern Kentucky Stats & Insights

Northern Kentucky is outscoring opponents by 4.8 points per game with a +157 scoring differential overall. It puts up 68.4 points per game (268th in college basketball) and gives up 63.6 per contest (29th in college basketball).

Northern Kentucky grabs 30.5 rebounds per game (259th in college basketball) compared to the 30.2 of its opponents.

The Norse knock down 8.3 three-pointers per game (76th in college basketball) at a 35.3% rate (120th in college basketball), compared to the 7.4 their opponents make while shooting 36.2% from beyond the arc.

Northern Kentucky averages 93.4 points per 100 possessions on offense (196th in college basketball), and allows 86.9 points per 100 possessions (68th in college basketball).

Offensively, the Norse have performed better at home this year, scoring 72.7 points per game, compared to 63.3 per game in away games.

Cleveland State Stats & Insights

Cleveland State has a +125 scoring differential, topping opponents by 3.8 points per game. It is putting up 72 points per game, 177th in college basketball, and is giving up 68.2 per outing to rank 124th in college basketball.

Cleveland State ranks 113th in the country at 32.8 rebounds per game. That’s similar to the 31.8 its opponents average.

Cleveland State connects on 5 three-pointers per game (350th in college basketball) at a 30.5% rate (342nd in college basketball), compared to the 7 per outing its opponents make, shooting 32% from beyond the arc.

Cleveland State ranks 216th in college basketball averaging 92.5 points per 100 possessions on offense, and defensively is 72nd, allowing 87.6 points per 100 possessions.

The Vikings average 74.1 points per game at home, and 68.6 away.

Northern Kentucky Key Players to Watch

The scoring leader for the Norse this season is Marques Warrick, who averages 19.1 points, 2.3 rebounds, and 2.8 assists per game.

Chris Brandon leads Northern Kentucky in rebounding, averaging 9.8 per game, while Xavier Rhodes leads the team in assists, distributing an average of 3.7 in each contest.

Warrick makes more threes per game than any other member of the Norse, knocking down shots from beyond the arc at a clip of 2.6 per contest.

Sam Vinson and Brandon lead Northern Kentucky on the defensive end, with Vinson leading the team in steals averaging 2.3 per game and Brandon in blocks averaging 0.7 per contest.

Cleveland State Key Players to Watch

The Vikings’ leader in scoring and rebounding is Tristan Enaruna with 15.6 points and 6.7 rebounds per game.

Deshon Parker’s assist statline paces Cleveland State; he dishes out 4.1 assists per game.

Drew Lowder is the top scorer from deep for the Vikings, hitting 1.6 threes per game.

Tujautae Williams (1.5 steals per game) is the steal leader for Cleveland State while Enaruna (1.2 blocks per game) is the block leader.

Northern Kentucky vs. Cleveland State Prediction

• Pick ATS:

  Cleveland State (+2)
  

• Pick OU:

  Over (126)
  

• Prediction:
  Cleveland State 69, Northern Kentucky 68

How to Bet on Northern Kentucky vs. Cleveland State

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