Oregon State hopes to avenge a 79-62 loss against Tennessee Tech from Sunday when they take to the court tonight against Northern Colorado. The Beavers are close to full strength, as Omari Johnson returned against Tennessee Tech, and C.J. Giles became eligible before the Cal State Bakersfield game. Neither has been a huge factor yet. Maybe that will change tonight.
The Northern Colorado Bears, out of the Big Sky, are 5-4 overall. Their four wins all came in one streak, and they're coming off two consecutive losses to Denver and Gonzaga. Their loss to Denver was the second time the two teams had played, with Northern Colorado winning the first meeting. It's all about home court advantage.
...Which, the Beavers have tonight. The Beavers are also 5-4, and 2-2 at home. The numbers don't support the home court advantage theory, but historically, Jay John coached teams have performed better on their home court. Also, Northern Colorado hasn't won a game on the road yet this season.
Let's take a look at some stats, shall we? We'll start with the basics. Both teams are 5-4 and have yet to play a conference game. The interesting stat here is the one I just mentioned-- and that is Northern Colorado's away winning percentage. It's 0%.
I won't bring in a chart for the other stats. Basically, they shoot bad, we shoot worse. We rebound well, so do they. Their pace is faster than ours. And, according to Ken Pomeroy, their luck is much, much better than ours. Go figure.If you're into gambling, Oregon State is around a 9 point favorite in most sportsbooks. Anything to make you feel better about this game.
Also, Oregon State has won all three historical meetings.
But, Ken Pomeroy's formula's give us just a 29% chance of winning.
Bam.
GO BEAVERS!
--JB--