Next on our NCAAB schedule of best bets and predictions is a Barbasol Horizon League Championship Semifinal showdown between the Cleveland State Vikings (20-12, 14-6 Horizon) and Milwaukee Panthers (21-10, 14-6 Horizon) on Monday night.
This will be the nightcap of the conference doubleheader as the 3-seed Vikings, and 2-seed Panthers battle it out to get the right to play in the championship against the winner of the Northern Kentucky/Youngstown State matchup that precedes it. Continue reading for our Cleveland State Vikings vs Milwaukee Panthers best bets.
Cleveland State vs. Milwaukee Matchup Information
Cleveland State Vikings vs Milwaukee Panthers
Location: Indiana Farmers Coliseum. Indianapolis, Indiana.
Date and Time: Monday, February 6, 2023. 9:30 pm ET.
How to Watch: ESPN2 | ESPN+| https://livestreamsports.co/
Recent Scores
Milwaukee won both of the schools’ regular-season meetings this season, so the old question of whether you can beat the same team three times in a season will certainly come up. The Panthers first won on the road in overtime on January 5 and then held serve on their home court nine days ago in both teams’ penultimate regular-season contest.
Keep InsidersBettingDigest bookmarked for all of our college basketball picks today and the March Madness schedule as we move forward.
Cleveland State vs. Milwaukee Analysis
Both teams are riding high coming into this Semifinal, with Cleveland State winning six of their last seven (the only loss coming to Milwaukee) and the Panthers winning three in a row. The Vikings needed overtime to eliminate the 6-seed Robert Morris in the quarterfinals, while Milwaukee had no issues with Wright State last Thursday.
Fortunately, the injury report is clean for both teams, so we’ll be at full strength for this one.
The players to watch will be the Vikings’ Tristan Enaruna and the Panthers’ BJ Freeman. Both lead their programs in scoring, while Enaruna also tops Cleveland State in rebounding and blocks. Freeman’s 17.4 ppg is good for seventh in the Horizon League, and he’s also tied for the team lead in boards.
Keep reading for our Cleveland State Vikings vs Milwaukee Panthers best bets.
Odds Breakdown
Below are the NCAAB odds for this matchup on Monday night.
Cleveland State
Moneyline: -135
Spread: -2.5
Over/Under: 149.5
Milwaukee
Moneyline: +115
Spread: +2.5
Over/Under: 149.5
Cleveland State vs. Milwaukee Betting Pick and Prediction
Cleveland State was favored in both regular-season matchups between these two, with Milwaukee winning outright as the underdog (getting five on the road and one at home) both times. And yet the oddsmakers haven’t adjusted based on the previous meetings, installing the Vikings as the favorites to go to the Horizon League Championship Game.
The total may also be a bit inflated based on recency bias, with the two combining for 153 last time but only 132 in the first meeting, which went into overtime. If we had to pick a side there, we would lean Under, considering the ramifications.
Horizon League Showdown
Youngstown State is the top seed after fending off these two and Northern Kentucky by a single game in the Horizon League standings. The Norse are the 4-seed and have their chance to get the last laugh against YSU as the only three-point dogs in the first game of this double dip.
We expect Freeman to put on a show and ultimately be the difference in this one for the Vikings. The sophomore guard has averaged 26.3 ppg over his last three ballgames and went for 24 and 31 in the first two meetings with Milwaukee. He had a rough stretch early on, at one point only posting single digits in points in five of six games, but since New Year’s Eve went for double-digits in every game.
By no coincidence, Cleveland State is 13-5 since Freeman became the focal point offensively. Now they’re on the doorstep of their second NCAA Tournament bid in the last three years after missing out for the previous 11 seasons. Milwaukee can fill it up, but they’re 6-7 away from their home floor this year, and stopping Freeman and company for a third time will prove too tough a task.
Take the Vikings to advance in our final Cleveland State Vikings vs Milwaukee Panthers best bets.
- NCAAB Pick: Cleveland State -2.5
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