After sitting in first place in the Horizon League for much of the season, Cleveland State lost its top spot following its 91-86 overtime defeat at Oakland on Saturday. The Vikings (19-10, 13-5) are still in control of a top two finish in the conference standings, however, which means a first-round bye in the conference tournament. Cleveland State could clinch a regular-season conference title with a win tonight against Wright State and a Robert Morris loss.
Wright State (13-16, 7-11) is on a three-game losing streak and has lost three of its last four.
The Raiders gave up a nine-point lead late in the second half to Northern Kentucky in their most recent loss. They’re in eighth place in the conference standings.
Cleveland State at Wright State Odds
Wright State is a 1.5-point college basketball odds favorite on BetMGM against Cleveland State while the Over/Under is at 144.5.
The Moneyline for Cleveland State is at -105 and at -114 for Wright State.
Cleveland State at Wright State On TV
The matchup between Cleveland State at Wright State will be televised on ESPN2.
Tonight’s game tips off at 9 p.m. ET.
Cleveland State at Wright State Prediction
I predict Cleveland State will cover the 1.5-point spread. I also predict this game will go under 143.5 points.
Despite their recent struggles, the Vikings still own the premier defense in the league and are still one of the top teams in the Horizon. They have the best scoring defense in the league, allowing 66.2 points per game and, per KenPom, have a defensive effective field-goal percentage of 48.8%, which is also the best mark in the conference.
CSU pressures the ball and defends the rim extremely well. In conference play, it forces a turnover on 21.2% of opponents’ possessions and averages 4.76 blocks per game, which is the second most in the Horizon.
Turnovers have been crucial in the Raiders’ last two losses, and they turn the ball over on 18.8% of possessions. I think the Vikings force WSU into 14+ turnovers, which could become easy buckets on the other end.
If the Raiders are able to get a win, they’ll need to knock down shots from the outside. WSU is the top 3-point shooting team in the league (37.9%). Ironically, they’re shooting an average of 37.9% from 3 in their wins this season. Cleveland State has the best 3-point defense in conference play, allowing opponents to shoot 31.8% from the arc. In the previous matchup between these squads, the Raiders were 5-for-23 from 3 (21.8%), so we’ll see if they’re able to knock down more triples in this meeting.
The Vikings average 73.7 PPG and are led by Tevin Smith (13.6 PPG) and Tahj Staveskie (12.4 PPG). Six-foot-9 junior Dylan Arnett averages 11.2 points and 7.2 RPG.
Brandon Noel leads the Raiders and is second in the conference with 19 PPG and grabs 8.1 RPG. The junior is an elite scorer who is excellent around the rim and can do just as much damage from the outside. Alex Huibregtse and Jack Doumbia chip in with 13 and 12.1 PPG.
Wright State can’t be taken lightly, especially with Noel, but I think the Vikings will force the rest of the Raiders to beat them and have too much at stake here.
Cleveland State is 8-6 against the spread as an underdog and WSU is 7-7 as a favorite.
