Incarnate Word Cardinals vs Northwestern State Demons Betting Pick & Prediction 1/13/24

The Cardinals and Demons are set to face off at 4:00 ET on ESPN+. The Demons will host the game at Prather Coliseum in Natchitoches, LA. The Cardinals come into this Southland conference matchup as the betting favorite. The over/under line currently sits at 148 points.

INCARNATE WORD CARDINALS VS NORTHWESTERN STATE DEMONS BETTING PICK

The Pick: Northwestern State Demons +2

This game will be played at Prather Coliseum at 4:00 ET on Saturday, January 13th.

WHY BET THE NORTHWESTERN STATE DEMONS:

• We have this one finishing with a projected score of 76-69 in favor of the Demons.
• Not only will Northwestern State pick up the win, but look for them to cover at +2.
• The over/under is currently sitting at 148 points, and we like the under with a projected 145 points.

Can Incarnate Word Deliver Being Favored on the Road?

Incarnate Word will look to snap their three-game losing streak as they head on the road to face Northwestern State. So far this season, the Cardinals are 5-10, including a 0-2 mark in Southland Conference play. On the road, they have gone just 2-8, and their average scoring margin is -9.4 points per game.

Thus far, Incarnate Word has been the underdog in all 13 of their games, going 3-10 in those matchups. In their last outing, they fell to Lamar by a score of 75-59. Over their last 10 games on the road, the Cardinals have gone just 2-8.

Incarnate Word has an overall ATS record of 6-6-1 this season, including a 4-5-1 mark on the road. Over their last 10 games as the favorite, the Cardinals have gone just 3-7 vs. the spread.

Incarnate Word’s over/under record for the season is 5-8 and today’s line of 148 is similar to their season average of 149.6. So far, seven of their games have had higher over/under lines than 148 and their games have finished with an average of 149.2 points. Over their last three games, the average scoring total is 143 points and their over/under record during this stretch is 0-2.

Against Lamar, the Incarnate Word had a tough time putting up points compared to their season average of 73.7 points per game. They scored 59 points and posted a field goal percentage of 33.3% in the game. The team’s top scorer is Sky Wicks, who comes into today’s matchup with an average of 14.5, while Josiah Hammons also maintains a PPG average of 13.2 leading up to the game.

The Cardinals’ defense is presently ranked 282nd nationally, allowing an average of 77.3 points per contest. In terms of field goal percentage allowed, Incarnate Word’s defense has allowed opponents to shoot 40.3% from the field, including a three-point shooting percentage allowed of 29.6% this season.

Is a Home Win Possible for Northwestern State?

Northwestern State has struggled mightily this season, as they have lost 13 straight games to start the year. They are also 0-13 as the underdog, and they will be in that role again today as they are two-point underdogs against Incarnate Word.

At home, the Demons are 0-4 this season, and they have an average scoring margin of -18.2 points per game. Over their last 10 games at home, Northwestern State is 5-5, and they are 1-4 in their last five.

Northwestern State has an overall ATS record of 6-7 this season and they are 1-3 vs. the spread at home. Their ATS record as the underdog is 6-7 and they are 1-4 vs. the spread in their last 5 games as the underdog.

So far this season, the over/under record for Northwestern State games is 9-4. Today’s over/under line of 148 is very close to the average over/under line in their games this season (148.4). Over their last three games, their games have averaged 145 points compared to their season average of 147.8. In their last 10 games, their over/under record is 6-3.

The Northwestern State offense is coming off a game where they scored 59 points against McNeese State. They posted a field goal percentage of 33.9% and connected on 7 threes. Leading Northwestern State in scoring vs. McNeese State was Cliff Davis with his 17 points. Braelon Bush also added 11 points for the Demons.

Facing Incarnate Word, Northwestern State aims for a better defensive performance, given their current average of 81.5 points allowed per game (318th). Northwestern State’s three-point defense is currently 106th in the country at 6.7 made threes per game. In terms of overall field goal percentage, opponets have hit 46.7% of their shots vs. Northwestern State.