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<p>Betting on today's Wolverines and Fighting Hawks game? Catch the action at Betty Engelstad Sioux Center in Grand Forks, ND, as the Fighting Hawks hosts this showdown at 1:00 ET on Summ. Utah Valley is favored by -6 in this non-conference showdown. The game's over/under is currently at 145.5 points.</p><h3>UTAH VALLEY WOLVERINES VS NORTH DAKOTA FIGHTING HAWKS BETTING PICK</h3><p>The Pick: North Dakota Fighting Hawks +6</p><p>This game will be played at Betty Engelstad Sioux Center at 1:00 ET on Thursday, November 14th.</p><h3>WHY BET THE NORTH DAKOTA FIGHTING HAWKS:</h3><ul><li>We have this one finishing with a projected score of 80-66 in favor of the Fighting Hawks.</li><li>Not only will North Dakota pick up the win, but look for them to cover at +6.</li><li>The over/under is currently sitting at 145.5 points, and we like the over with a projected 146 points.</li></ul><h3>Will Utah Valley Make it Happen on the Road?</h3><p>Utah Valley kicked off their season with a dominant 89-60 win over UTEP on Saturday. Playing at home, the Wolverines were slight favorites at -1 and covered the spread with ease. The game’s total points of 149 went over the pre-game line of 143.5.</p> <p>Utah Valley took control early, leading 43-28 at halftime. They continued to pour it on in the second half, outscoring UTEP 46-32 to seal the win.</p><p>Utah Valley's offense was firing on all cylinders, putting up 89 points with a 52% field goal percentage. They connected on 11 of 21 three-pointers, shooting 52.4% from deep, and their effective field goal percentage was an impressive 64%.</p> <p>The Wolverines also made 31 of 43 free throws (72.1%) and dished out 25 assists. Dominick Nelson led the way with 21 points and 8 rebounds, while Tanner Toolson added 16 points, hitting 4 of 7 from beyond the arc.</p><p>Utah Valley's defense gave up 60 points in their last game, allowing the opposition to shoot 52% from the field. They hit 15 of 29 two-point attempts, good for 51%.</p> <p>From beyond the arc, the opposing team made 11 of 21 threes, shooting 52%. Utah Valley also sent them to the line 43 times, where they converted 31 free throws at a 72% rate. The Wolverines allowed 9 offensive rebounds.</p><h3>Will North Dakota Pull Through as the Underdog Home Team?</h3><h3>North Dakota Fighting Hawks Recent Game/Games</h3> 

<p>North Dakota’s season opener didn’t go as planned, as they fell 82-56 on the road to Colorado State on Monday. The Fighting Hawks entered the game as +17.5 point underdogs and failed to cover the spread.</p> 

<p>North Dakota trailed 39-22 at halftime and couldn’t close the gap in the second half, scoring 34 points while allowing 43. The total points for the game were 138, just under the O/U line of 143.</p><p>North Dakota struggled offensively in their last game, scoring just 56 points on 35.4% shooting from the field, with an effective field goal percentage of 41.7%. They hit only 31.2% of their three-point attempts, going 5-for-16 from deep, and managed just 5 offensive rebounds and 5 assists as a team.</p> <p>Nique Clifford was a bright spot, leading the way with 20 points and 14 rebounds, shooting 9-for-12 overall and 2-for-3 from beyond the arc. Keshawn Williams added 14 points on 6-of-9 shooting, while Treysen Eaglestaff contributed 12 points, also hitting 2-of-3 from three-point range.</p><p>North Dakota's defense struggled in their last game, giving up 82 points while allowing the opposing team to shoot 58% from the field. The Fighting Hawks had a tough time defending inside, where they allowed 31 of 43 two-point shots to fall, a 72% conversion rate.</p> <p>On the perimeter, North Dakota fared better, holding the opposition to 23% shooting from beyond the arc, with just 4 made threes on 17 attempts. They also sent the other team to the line 19 times, where they hit 8 free throws, shooting 42%. The Fighting Hawks limited second-chance opportunities, giving up just 5 offensive rebounds.</p>

Utah Valley Wolverines vs North Dakota Fighting Hawks NCAA Basketball Betting Pick & Prediction 11/14/24

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Most college basketball previews that you read today will center on West Virginia vs. Kansas. That’s fine. Nothing against those two teams or that marquee games. Here at BangTheBook, however, we try to be different and have a focus on some of the other games that are out there.

Like Saint Mary’s vs. San Diego State. In the grand scheme of things, this is a more important game anyway. WVU and KU are ticketed for March. They’ll be in the field of 68. Saint Mary’s and San Diego State may not be, but this major non-conference clash on Tuesday night would be a rather large feather in the cap of the winning team.

Per the fine folks at <a href="http://bangthebook.com/sportsbooks/betonline"><strong>BetOnline Sportsbook</strong></a>, San Diego State is -2.5 with a total of 126 for this matchup that can be seen on CBS Sports Network. The game will be played on the Cal Poly campus in San Luis Obispo.

Let’s check out both sides of the handicap here and see what this matchup has in store.
<h3><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Saint Mary’s Gaels</strong></span></h3>
A lot of people will tell you that if you don’t like offense, then this isn’t the game for you. The fact is that Saint Mary’s and San Diego State do play at really, really slow paces, but the Gaels are one of the best mid-major offenses in the country with regularity. It is a methodical halfcourt offense and in the era of transition and chucking from anywhere, that type of style doesn’t get a whole lot of respect.

During this season’s 8-1 start, the Gaels have shot 54.2% on two-pointers and a respectable 34.4% from distance. The Gaels also rank in the top 50 in TO% on offense. No, they’re not going to light up the scoreboard like West Coast Conference rival Gonzaga, but offensive efficiency goes a long way.

The Gaels will be looking to find that offensive stride after a really poor performance against Colorado State last time out. Saint Mary’s only scored 53 points on 22-of-60 shooting. They took 31 threes, the second-most attempts from beyond the arc, and only made seven. The upshot is that Saint Mary’s only allowed 33 points over 64 possessions to the Rams to secure the 20-point victory.

Fifty-three points probably won’t get it done here, but Randy Bennett had to be extremely pleased with the team’s lockdown defensive effort on a night when offensive frustration could have leaked over to the other end of the floor.

Saint Mary’s ranks 25th in the nation in 2P% defense. San Diego State ranks 64th in percentage of field goal attempts coming from beyond the arc. This handicap is about how the Gaels offense bounces back and how SDSU shoots from deep.
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<h3><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>San Diego State Aztecs</strong></span></h3>
The Aztecs are hoping to bounce back from their first loss of the season. BYU felled the previously unbeaten team by a 72-62 score. The Cougars held SDSU to .949 points per possession. Pepperdine held the Aztecs to .939 PPP two games prior. Those two lackluster data points would seem to go against what we saw from SDSU in wins over UCLA and Arizona State.

It makes sense that the Aztecs offense would be a little hit or miss. With a high rate of three-point shots, sometimes the ball goes in the cylinder and sometimes it doesn’t. Against Pepperdine, SDSU was 2-of-19 from deep. They were 9-of-25 against BYU, but only 12-of-32 inside the arc.

This is an experienced San Diego State squad, but the absence of Malachi Flynn has played a big role already. When the Aztecs needed a big shot, it was Flynn. When they needed a big pass, it was Flynn. The offense for the Aztecs ran through him en route to 30 wins last season before everything came crashing down.

Senior Matt Mitchell has been great to this point, but every Batman needs a Robin. Last year, Flynn was Batman and he was able to make all of the Robins better. Mitchell hasn’t gotten consistent support from his teammates and head coach Brian Dutcher has been tinkering and toying with different lineups in the early going.
<h3><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Pick &amp; Analysis</strong></span></h3>
When a transcendent player like Flynn leaves a program like San Diego State, it is a hard thing to overcome, especially as a transfer from another university. Everything in that one season went through him. You can’t fault Dutcher for going that route, but also, it leaves you with a pretty big void going into the next year.

You have to give Randy Bennett a ton of credit. He’s had players like Jock Landale, Patty Mills, Matthew Dellavedova, and so many other quality players in Moraga, but the team never seems to miss a beat when an impact player leaves.

Saint Mary’s is the pick here, not just because of that, but because they are the better offensive team in a game that should be low scoring with a limited number of possessions.

<strong>Pick: Saint Mary’s +2.5</strong>
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Saint Mary's vs. San Diego State College Basketball Free Pick & Prediction 12/22/20

It is a pretty quiet Monday on the college basketball side. Only two ranked teams are in action and only a handful of games are scheduled to be played.

Most watchful eyes will be on Marquette vs. Creighton, at least those bettors that aren’t watching Ravens vs. Browns. We have our sights set on a different game for Monday. The non-conference matchup between Pepperdine and UNLV is the spotlight game for us this evening.

It also happens to be the latest game on the card, which doesn’t hurt so that our fine readers have more time to check out the preview.

Pepperdine is up to a 2.5-point favorite with a total of 149 with our good friends at <a href="http://bangthebook.com/sportsbooks/betonline"><strong>BetOnline Sportsbook</strong></a>. This line opened Pepperdine -1 so bettors are, ahem, riding the Waves of the line move thus far.

Let’s see how this one stacks up for college basketball action on December 14:
<h3><strong><u>Pepperdine Waves</u></strong></h3>
The end of Lorenzo Romar’s tenure in Washington wound up being very underwhelming, especially with how the Huskies started with three tournament appearances in a row from 2009-11 in Romar’s second, third, and fourth seasons at the helm. Romar took the Pepperdine job in 2019 and the Waves went 16-18 with a 6-10 mark in conference. Last season, Pepperdine was 16-16 and 8-8 in conference with a double overtime loss to Saint Mary’s to end the season in the West Coast Conference Tournament.

This looks to be Romar’s best squad yet in Malibu. The Waves are only 3-3 and one of their wins came against lower-division St. Katherine, but they played right with San Diego State on the road in a 65-60 loss and fell to UCLA in triple overtime. They’ve been a plucky team to open the year and have given some big boys a scare. They also beat Cal by 12 at home.

Pepperdine’s opponents have collectively shot 25.6% from 3, which is a big reason why they’ve been able to have success. In the five-point loss to SDSU, the Aztecs were just 2-of-19 from 3. In the win over Cal, the Golden Bears were 5-of-24.

Offensively, Pepperdine is shooting 56.5% inside the arc and 85.7% at the free throw line. Junior Kessler Edwards and senior Colbey Ross barely leave the floor, but Pepperdine rotates in a lot of other players and has gotten contributions from Pitt transfer Kene Chukwuka right out of the gate.

It will be interesting to see how Pepperdine bounces back. Following the good win over Cal, Pepperdine lost to a really bad Cal State Northridge team by five at home in a game that was played to 76 possessions but featured 173 points. Northridge was 29-of-46 on two-point shots and that has been a problem area for the Waves. Opponents have shot 53.6% from 2.

Will they fare better in this one?
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<h3><strong><u>UNLV Rebels</u></strong></h3>
The Rebels are off to a disappointing start this season at 1-4. The Rebels went in spurts last season under then first-year head coach TJ Otzelberger. They lost eight of 12 to open the season, then won six of their first seven Mountain West games before losing five of the next six. Then they won five straight going into the MWC Tournament before bowing out in the first round against Boise State.

On a game-to-game basis, there was no telling what UNLV was going to do or how they were going to play. So far in 2021, UNLV has lost in blowout fashion to Montana State, UNC, and Alabama. The Rebels also lost by four to Davidson in a game where the Wildcats paraded to the free throw line with 25 makes on 31 attempts.

Then last time out, UNLV pulled a mild shocker with a 10-point road win at Kansas State. To this point, UNLV has let the opposition dictate the pace. They’ve struggled badly to defend both the interior and the perimeter. Opponents have shot nearly 38% on threes and nearly 52% on twos. Meanwhile, UNLV is shooting 35.7% from 3 and 47.9% from 2. That won’t get it done.

In fairness, there are a lot of new faces in Vegas. There is freshman Nicquel Blake. Iowa State transfer Caleb Grill and South Dakota State transfer David Jenkins Jr. have been dialing it up from distance, but have struggled on the defensive end. UNLV is missing Elijah Mitrou-Long, Amauri Hardy, and Donnie Tillman from last year’s squad.

This profiles as a team that should get better as the season goes along, but does that help tonight?
<h3><strong><u>Pick &amp; Analysis</u></strong></h3>
These are two teams that should march up and down the floor tonight with minimal resistance. UNLV is playing to the opponent’s pace and Pepperdine will be happy to push the ball up the floor. Pepperdine’s three-point defense will regress and UNLV isn’t playing very good defense at all.

This looks like an over bet at the Thomas &amp; Mack Center to me.
<h4><strong>Pick: Over 149</strong></h4>
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Pepperdine vs. UNLV College Basketball Free Pick, Prediction, and Preview 12/14/20

Narratives tend to shape the betting markets, especially in the NFL Playoffs. On one side, you’ve got a Tampa Bay Buccaneers team led by Tom Brady with elite skill position talent and a defense that was highly-rated earlier in the year. On the other side, you have a team with a losing record that won the worst division in football.

As a result, the Buccaneers are more than a touchdown favorite heading to Landover, MD for Saturday’s primetime Wild Card Weekend game against the Washington Football Team. The Bucs are -8.5 at <a href="http://bangthebook.com/sportsbooks/bovada"><strong>Bovada Sportsbook</strong></a> with a total of 45.

This is the first time since 2011 that a road team has been a favorite of this magnitude in the playoffs. The last time it happened, the Seahawks beat the favored Saints outright at home. That game has no bearing on this one a decade later, except to illustrate that an upset is possible.

Possible, but unlikely, right?
<h3><strong><u>Tampa</u></strong><strong><u> Bay</u></strong><strong><u> Buccaneers</u></strong></h3>
The Buccaneers had a late bye week. During this weird and unique COVID season, Tampa Bay had to play 12 straight games prior to a week off. With a 43-year-old quarterback and no preseason to work together, you can see why the Bucs were 7-5 at the break.

They went 4-0 after the bye, winning three of the four games by double digits. That 43-year-old turned the clock back by throwing 40 touchdown passes for just the second time in his career and put up numbers similar to his 2017 season with the Patriots. That one ended with a Super Bowl ring. For Tom Brady, this will be his first trip to the playoffs with a different team, but he’s having as good a season as he’s had in quite some time.

Over those last four games after the bye, Brady had a 12/1 TD/INT ratio with a 69.1% completion rate. He averaged 11.24 adjusted net yards per pass attempt. This Buccaneers offense is really clicking going into the postseason. The negative MRI for Mike Evans and the better health in the second half of the season for Chris Godwin are additional positives going into this game.

That being said, I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the Tampa defense. The Bucs still graded out fifth for the full season in DVOA and were the top rushing defense in the NFL, but opponents exceeded 350 yards in six of the last nine games and the defense looked suspect at times.

The Bucaneers defense did get better and make adjustments as games went along. Tampa Bay allowed 7.6 adjusted net yards per pass attempt in the first half and then 5.0 in the second half.
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<h3><strong><u>Washington</u></strong><strong><u> Football Team</u></strong></h3>
The Washington Football Team has had to rely on its defense all season long and that will be the case again in this one. The 1.69 points per drive that they allowed was third in the NFL, trailing only the Rams and the Steelers. Opponents only scored on 31.4% of their possessions. That was the fourth-best mark.

The goal for Washington will be to make Brady uncomfortable. Washington had 47 sacks while mostly generating pressure with just the front four off the edges. It allowed Washington to sit back in coverage and hold opposing QBs to a 62.4% completion rate. Only the Steelers and Saints fared better in that department.

Tampa Bay’s defense allowed a 69% completion rate, but limited big plays. Washington did an excellent job of limiting most plays. Opponents only had 4.8 adjusted net yards per pass attempt.

Tampa Bay’s defense was stout against the run, holding opponents to 3.6 yards per carry. That would seem to be a concern for a Washington team that ranked 14th in Rush DVOA while ranking 32nd in Pass DVOA. That pretty much puts it on the shoulders of Alex Smith, who is less than 100% and has eight interceptions against just six touchdown passes. He’s also been sacked 22 times in eight games.
<h3><strong><u>Pick &amp; Analysis</u></strong></h3>
This is a complex handicap. We have a true outlier situation in the sense that the Bucs are a huge road favorite, but they clearly deserve to be from a statistical standpoint. The only hope that Washington has here rests on its defense, which has really been the MO for this team all season long.

Washington is catching the Brady-led offense at a bad time with a ton of efficiency since the bye week and this could end up being a blowout. On the other hand, that Washington pass rush has been quite effective, led by Chase Young and Montez Sweat.

I’ll take the 8.5 with Washington here and give that defense the benefit of the doubt. Brady and the Bucs put up huge numbers on the Falcons twice, the Lions, and the Vikings, who Mike Zimmer said have the worst defense he’s ever seen. This Washington defense is a handful and they should be able to keep this one close.
<h4><strong>Pick: Washington +8.5</strong></h4>
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Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. Washington Football Team Wild Card Weekend Pick, Odds, & Prediction 1/9/21

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