Montana St. vs. Nothern Colorado Prediction, Odds and Key Players to Watch for Big Sky Championship Semifinal

The Big Sky regular season champions, Northern Colorado, is one win away from advancing to the tournament final and one step closer to a bid in the NCAA Tournament.

Standing in their way is Montana State, fresh off a 20-point win against Idaho State. The Bears had won both of the regular season meetings against the Bobcats including a 73-66 victory in their most recent meeting on February 8.

Let’s dive into the odds, key players, and my best bet for this semifinal showdown.

Odds via BetMGM Sportsbook

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Moneyline

Total

Montana State

Brandon Walker: Montana State’s forward, Brandon Walker, is the most impactful player on this Bobcats team. He leads the team in points (14.7) and rebounds (4.9) while shooting 52.8% from the field. He put up 15 points and seven rebounds in Montana State’s most recent loss to Northern Colorado. He needs to bring his “A” game tonight if the Bobcats want to pull off the upset.

Northern Colorado

Isaiah Hawthorne: The senior forward for Northern Colorado has led the team in scoring this season, averaging 17.8 points per game, but he cranked things up a notch in their first tournament win against Weber State. He put up 29 points and seven rebounds and if he brings that level of play to the game tonight, the Bears will be tough to beat.

Northern Colorado is one of the best shooting teams in the country. They enter tonight’s game ranking seventh in the country in effective field goal percentage, making them a tough out for any team. With that being said, they have some defensive issues that lead me to bet the total instead of laying the points with the Bears.

One thing that Northern Colorado fans and bettors should be concerned about is its perimeter defense. The Bears rank 274th in opponent three-point field goal percentage, allowing teams to shoot 35.4% from beyond the arc. That could come back to haunt them against a Montana State team that primarily shoots the three ball, ranking 81st in college basketball in three-point shot rate.

I’m going to sit back and root for points in what is shaping up to be a high-scoring affair.

Pick: OVER 145.5 (-110) via BetMGM

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Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

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You can check out all of Iain’s bets here!