A small school in California takes an athletic department game early in the season. The Westcliff Warriors are surely getting a nice paycheck from the Idaho State Bengals for an early season matchup. The payouts generally aren’t as much as an Idaho State football game prediction, most likely, but the Warriors will be able to ride in style to Pocatello, Idaho. There is no Westcliff Warriors football team so they are lucky to be able to schedule this game to help generate funds.
Given the talent and budget discrepancies, making Westcliff vs Idaho State picks should be fairly easy.
Westcliff Warriors vs. Idaho State Bengals
Thursday’s game, which tips off at 9 p.m. ET, is one of many on the ncaab schedule. Perhaps not the most surprising, but there are zero college basketball matchups between these two programs. The game will be aired on ESPN+. This is the first of two non-Division I opponents for Idaho State this season.
Last Game Record
Westcliff lost its season opener to The Master’s, 83-52, on Oct. 27. The Warriors got behind by 18 in the first half and only converted 31.1% of field goal attempts (19 for 61) for the game. They were 4 for 23 (17.4%) on 3-pointers and 10 for 17 (58.8%) at the free-throw line. Josh Harrison had 15 points while Ray Witt Jr. added 15 points off the bench in the losing effort.
The Bengals hung tough against a quality Brigham Young program. Idaho State lost 60-56 in Monday night’s opener in front of 13,000 fans at the Marriott Center in Provo, Utah. It was a strong start against a team that is generally pretty good in the college basketball standings. The B3ngals converted 38% of shots (19 for 50) and 32% of 3-pointers (8 for 25) while making 71.4% of free throw attempts (10 for 14). Brock Mackenzie led the way with 15 points while Miguel Tomley scored 10 points in 14 minutes while battling foul trouble. Maleek Arlington added 11 points off the bench.
Westcliff Warriors vs. Idaho State Bengals Analysis
The good news for each team is there are no college basketball injuries to be aware of. Neither team has suffered a major injury in their early season contests. NCAA basketball stats show the Bengals have fared pretty well against lesser competition. They played a pair of exhibition games against other NAIA programs already.
While further individual and team stats are unavailable, Idaho State beat Walla Walla University (from Washington), 92-45, and then beat Park University Gilbert (from Arizona), 76-38 before Monday’s game against Brigham Young, which gave the Bengals a 1-0 start against the spread. That should give a good indication of what to expect Thursday when making Westcliff vs Idaho State picks.
Fourth-year coach Ryan Looney led the Bengals to a 7-23 record a season ago, including five wins against Division I opponents and sweeping Idaho. He and his staff returned seven players from last year’s roster. They brought in transfers from UC Santa Barbara, Santa Clara, Cal Poly, Missouri, and Brigham Young alongside a handful of freshmen.
Westcliff went 10-12 a season ago, including a 6-7 mark in the California Pacific Conference. They dealt with COVID-19 having to forfeit a game and also winning a game due to forfeit. They got onto a roll in late January and into February by winning four straight games before losing their final four games. For comparison, they lost to The Master’s by 10 on Feb. 15. Coach Jerred Cook is in his third season after spending time coaching camps in Japan. He finished his career in 2017 at Bellevue in Nebraska before beginning his coaching career.
Odds Breakdown
- Westcliff Warriors
There are no odds available for the Westcliff Warriors
- Idaho State Bengals
There are no odds available for the Idaho State Bengals.
Westcliff Warriors vs. Idaho State Bengals Betting Pick and Prediction
While there are no odds available, the only Westcliff vs. Idaho State picks out there are by Oddshark, which projects a Westcliff win 75.6-66.2. That, of course, is based on simulation models, but it’s hard to simulate a game with an NAIA team because the schedules are comparatively different in strength.
Given how Idaho State fared in its exhibitions against NAIA programs, they should be able to win handily on Military Appreciation Night and give each player some in-game experience before a big test at Utah next week. Whether making a friendly bet or not, pick the Bengals when making Westcliff vs Idaho State picks.
- Pick: Idaho State to win.
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