Green Bay vs IUPUI Odds
| Green Bay Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-8 -115 | 133 -110 / -110 | -350 |
| IUPUI Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+8 -105 | 133 -110 / -110 | +280 |
Oh yes, ladies and gentlemen of the college basketball world, we have early afternoon college hoops this Wednesday. The IUPUI Jaguars host the surging Green Bay Phoenix.
People assumed Green Bay and IUPUI would be the bottom two teams in the Horizon League. Instead, Green Bay looks like a legitimate middle-tier Horizon squad, while the Jaguars still sit near the bottom.
Here's college basketball odds and a pick for Green Bay vs IUPUI on Wednesday, Jan. 10.
Green Bay Phoenix
Green Bay holds wins over Wright State, Robert Morris, Detroit Mercy and Milwaukee (sans BJ Freeman), but how good are the Phoenix if star guard Noah Reynolds isn't putting up ridiculous scoring numbers?
The star guard rattled in 39 points against Wright State and 27 against Robert Morris, but only scored 13 in the loss to Oakland.
Reynolds is Green Bay's only double-digit scorer this season.
One guy who could emerge as the season continues is freshman David Douglas Jr., who scored 15 against Oakland on Sunday.
Green Bay plays slow under Sundance Wicks, ranking 348th in Adjusted Tempo. It also shoots triples on 45% of its possessions, the 29th-most attempts in college basketball. It's an interesting style for a slow-paced squad, as the team relies on the 3s falling.
Another obstacle for Green Bay is turnovers, as it ranks 331st in turnover percentage. That's less than ideal for a slow-tempo team. Playing slow, turning the ball over and missing 3s will happen eventually in a game for the Phoenix, and it'll look ugly. It just depends on when the game happens, but it feels inevitable.
IUPUI Jaguars
IUPUI is off to another brutal start, as it enters the contest 5-12 overall and 1-5 in conference play (the lone win came over 0-16 Detroit Mercy).
I thought IUPUI could enjoy an improved season. I was clearly wrong, but I also imagined improvements from the returning trio of Jlynn Counter, DJ Jackson and Vincent Brady. Instead, all three have posted worse numbers than a season ago.
It doesn't take long to spot why IUPUI is bad, as it ranks 346th in Offensive Efficiency and 354th in Defensive Efficiency, is shooting 25% from 3 and is turning it over 21% of the time.
There's some reason for optimism, though. Brady scored 12+ points in the past four games, including 18 in a single-digit home loss against Cleveland State.
Counter and Brady need to score together if Matt Crenshaw wants his team to start winning games. The pair of guards are good enough for the Jags to steal some conference games.
Plus, it's not like IUPUI is getting steamrolled in all of these games. The Jaguars competed against Youngstown State and Cleveland State, trailing by five or less down the stretch before the superior team imposed its will.
That'll happen against the upper-echelon teams in the Horizon, but I don't think Green Bay fits the billing there.
Green Bay vs. IUPUI
Betting Pick & Prediction
I know it's ugly. I know placing legitimate American currency on the IUPUI Jaguars isn't what most people want to do. But I'm selling high on Green Bay here because its roster isn't very good aside from Reynolds, and it's a home spot for IUPUI.
The limited amount of fans probably won't look like a home game, but the travel matters too.
IUPUI is really bad, but the gap is less than the spread indicates. Beyond Reynolds, the next best two or three players in this game are on IUPUI.
Take the points, and enjoy the early game.
Pick: IUPUI +7.5 (Play to +6.5)
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