The Montana State Bobcats will try to spring one more upset when they take on No. 2 seed Eastern Washington in Saturday's 2021 Big Sky Tournament championship game. No. 5 seed Montana State (13-9) shocked top-seeded Southern Utah 80-77 in overtime after trailing by 10 at halftime in Friday night's semifinals. The Eagles (14-7) dominated Montana in a 78-50 victory, holding the Grizzlies to just 15 points in the first half. Eastern Washington took a pair of 16-point victories against the Bobcats last month, but MSU is shooting for its first NCAA berth since 1996. EWU has made the dance twice, in 2004 and 2015.
Tip-off is scheduled for 8 p.m. ET at Idaho Central Arena in Boise. The Eagles are 7.5-point favorites in the latest Montana State vs. Eastern Washington odds from William Hill Sportsbook, and the over-under for total points scored is 148.5. Before locking in any Eastern Washington vs. Montana State picks, be sure to see the college basketball predictions and betting advice from SportsLine's proven model.
The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every Division I college basketball game 10,000 times. Over the past four-plus years, the proprietary computer model has generated an impressive profit of over $2,600 for $100 players on its top-rated college basketball picks against the spread. It has also returned over $400 on all top-rated college basketball picks this season. Anyone who has followed it has seen huge returns.
Now, the model has set its sights on Eastern Washington vs. Montana State in the Big Sky Tournament 2021. You can head to SportsLine to see its picks. Here are several college basketball odds and trends for Montana State vs. Eastern Washington:
- Montana State vs. Eastern Washington spread: Eagles -7.5
- Montana State vs. Eastern Washington over-under: 148.5 points
- Montana State vs. Eastern Washington money line: Bobcats +270, Eagles -340
- MSU: F Jubrile Belo is averaging 20.2 points over his past six games.
- EWU: The Eagles are averaging 83.4 points over their last 11 games.
Why Eastern Washington can cover
Eastern Washington, which is 14-7 against the spread this season, has some unfinished business after losing out on a chance to make the NCAAs last year. The Eagles didn't get a chance to play a conference tourney game after it was canceled before its quarterfinal. They are led by Tanner Groves, the top scorer (16.4 points) and Big Sky MVP, and Kim Aiken (12.0 points), the conference Defensive Player of the Year. They combined for 39 points Friday night.
The dynamic juniors also combine for more than 16 rebounds per game for the Eagles, who are 11-6 ATS as favorites this season. Three other players score in double figures for an EWU offense that averages nearly 79 points per game. Aiken is the primary 3-point shooter, hitting a third of his 101 tries, and Tyler Robertson and (11.8 points) and conference Reserve of the Year Jacob Davison (10.7) both hit almost 37 percent of their attempts from beyond the arc.
Why Montana State can cover
Montana State is 4-2 against the spread in its last six neutral-site games and is led by the trio of guards Xavier Bishop and Amin Adamu and forward Jubrile Belo. Bishop runs the Big Sky's fourth-best scoring offense (74.7 points per game), averaging 14.8 points and four assists. Adamu scores 14.5 and grabs five rebounds, and the guards combine for 2.5 steals per game. Bishop is the primary outside shooter, hitting 36 percent on 75 attempts.
Belo is a handful at 6-foot-9, 240 pounds, and he makes nearly 63 percent of his shots, scoring 13.7 points and pulling down 5.6 rebounds. Small forward Abdul Mohamed is the leading rebounder at 5.8, with 99 of his 122 boards coming on the defensive end. The Bobcats allow 72.3 points per game and 43 percent (fifth in Big Sky) and 34.9 from 3-point range (seventh). Five other players average at least 18 minutes and score at least four points per game.
How to make Montana State vs. Eastern Washington picks
The model is leaning over on the total, projecting the teams to combine for 149 points. It also says one side of the spread hits well over 50 percent of the time. You can only see the pick at SportsLine.
So who wins Montana State vs. Eastern Washington? And which side of the spread hits well over 50 percent of the time? Visit SportsLine right now to see which side of the spread you need to jump on, all from the computer model that has crushed its college basketball picks.
