After hooking up just seven days ago in Bozeman, Montana, the Montana State Bobcats and Weber State Wildcats play each other in the Big Sky Quarterfinals in Idaho on Monday.
Montana State Bobcats vs. Weber State Wildcats (-6, 142.5)
The game these two played last week was slow and controlled, not surprising as the Wildcats play at one of the slowest paces in the country, ranking 328th in total possessions per game.
Though Weber State entered Sunday 75th overall in points scored per possession, the offensive production has not traveled well all season. The Wildcats are scoring 13 points per 100 possessions fewer when in a road or neutral court setting with their 3-point shot percentage at 37.2% at home compared to 31.7% away from home.
While the Montana State defense is just 224th in the country in points allowed on a per-possession basis, they have defended the 3-point line well, ranking 60th in the country in opponent 3-point shooting percentage while also being one of the best defenses in the country at generating turnovers on the road.
The Bobcats are generating a turnover on 19.3% of possessions in games played away from home, which ranks 32nd in the country, and will cause an already low possession game to have even fewer scoring chances.
The amount of second-chance points also figures to be quite limited as Montana State is grabbing 18.6% of their missed shots as an offensive rebound, which ranks 357th in the nation while Weber State is grabbing 19.9% of their missed shots in games played away from home as an offensive rebound, which ranks 335th in the country.
Last week’s matchup was a slow-moving slog that stayed under the total even with both teams combining to make 38.6% of their 3-point attempts in addition to very few wasted possessions as there were 21 turnovers between the two teams.
With the contest now on a neutral court and this being a do-or-die game for both team’s NCAA Tournament hopes, Monday’s showdown sets up to be a low-scoring affair.
The Play: Montana State vs. Weber State Under 142.5
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