Montana Grizzlies vs Eastern Washington Eagles NCAA Basketball Betting Pick & Prediction 1/2/25

Looking to win big? The Grizzlies and Eagles face off at 9:00 ET on ESPN+. The Eagles are hosting the game at Reese Court in Cheney, WA. The over/under for this Big Sky conference contest is set at 154.5 points, with Eastern Washington being favored by -1.5 at home against Montana.

MONTANA GRIZZLIES VS EASTERN WASHINGTON EAGLES BETTING PICK

The Pick: Eastern Washington Eagles -1.5

This game will be played at Reese Court at 9:00 ET on Thursday, January 2nd.

WHY BET THE EASTERN WASHINGTON EAGLES:

• We have this one finishing with a projected score of 77-69 in favor of the Eagles.
• Not only will Eastern Washington pick up the win, but look for them to cover at -1.5.
• The over/under is currently sitting at 154.5 points, and we like the under with a projected 146 points.

Can Montana Lock in a Road Win?

Montana dropped to 4-6 on the season after a 71-67 road loss to San Francisco on Saturday. The Grizzlies, who were +17.5 point underdogs, kept the game closer than expected.

After trailing 36-26 at halftime, Montana outscored the Dons 41-35 in the second half. The game’s total points of 138 fell short of the 147.5 over/under line.

In their latest game, the Grizzlies put up 67 points, shooting 45.5% from the field and 49.1% in effective field goal percentage. They struggled from beyond the arc, hitting just 4 of 17 attempts for 23.5%, but were solid inside, connecting on 55.3% of their two-point shots. At the free-throw line, they converted 81.2%, making 13 of 16 attempts.

Marcus Williams led the way with 25 points, shooting 72.7% overall and adding 5 rebounds and 3 assists. Joe Pridgen contributed 21 points and 10 rebounds, shooting 62.5% from the field. Tyrone Riley IV hit 4 threes at a 57.1% clip, finishing with 17 points, while Malik Thomas also added 17 points, making 3 of 4 from deep.

Montana gave up 71 points on 43% shooting from the field, with their opponent hitting 21 of 48 shots. Inside the arc, they allowed 11 of 22 shots to fall, a 50% success rate.

From three-point range, Montana’s defense saw 10 of 26 shots go in, a 38% shooting performance. They also sent their opponent to the free-throw line 31 times, where they converted 19 for 61%. Montana allowed 6 offensive rebounds.

Will Eastern Washington Find a Way to Win at Home?

Eastern Washington’s season continued to be a struggle as they fell to 2-9 after an 87-69 loss to Washington on Tuesday. The Eagles were +13.5 point underdogs going into the game and failed to cover the spread. The total points for the game were 156, exceeding the over/under line of 146.5.

Eastern Washington trailed 39-32 at halftime and allowed 48 points in the 2nd half while scoring 37. They’ll need to tighten up defensively if they hope to turn things around this season.

Eastern Washington put up 69 points in their last game, shooting 50% from the field. Their two-point shooting was particularly strong at 59%, while they hit just 29.4% from beyond the arc, going 5-for-17. The Eagles also connected on 72.7% of their free throws, making 8 of 11 attempts.

Mekhi Mason led the way with 23 points, hitting 5 of 7 threes and shooting 63.6% overall. Andrew Cook added 18 points, also shooting 63.6%, and Great Osobor contributed 16 points and 4 assists. Zoom Diallo was perfect from the field, going 6-for-6 for 14 points.

Eastern Washington’s defense struggled, giving up 87 points on 60% shooting. They allowed 34 field goals on 56 attempts.

Inside the arc, the Eagles gave up 24 buckets on 37 attempts (64%). From three-point range, they allowed 10 threes on 19 attempts (52%).