The Green Bay Phoenix host the Purdue Fort Wayne Mastodons on Thursday night in a Horizon Conference college basketball matchup. The game tips off at 7 p.m. EST in Ashwaubenon, Wisconsin.
The Phoenix are listed as 1.5-point favorites on DraftKings Sportsbook, with the total set at O/U 144.5 points. Let’s dive into the preview, prediction, and pick for this Horizon Conference showdown.
Green Bay vs. Purdue Fort Wayne preview
Green Bay is a contender in the Horizon this season. The Phoenix are in third place in the conference and have a chance to win the conference tournament if they play their best basketball. They are a balanced group, featuring four scorers with at least 11.5 points per game. Green Bay is a well-schooled team and does a great job of getting to the charity stripe, averaging 22.6 free throws per game. Green Bay also has its secret weapon: the 29-year-old Navy veteran with a 7-foot-4 wingspan, Ramel Bethea. This is a tough team to face, and Green Bay consistently outperforms its talent level.
Purdue Fort Wayne is just behind Green Bay at fourth in the Horizon Conference race. But the Mastodons have dropped a couple of spots due to their current poor form. Purdue Fort Wayne has lost three of its last four games, including losses to the two best teams in the conference, Oakland and Wright State. The Mastodons are led by junior guard Corey Hadnot II, who ranks 31st in the nation in scoring with 20 points per game.
Green Bay vs. Purdue Fort Wayne pick, best bet
My best bet for this game is on the Green Bay moneyline. Green Bay is a short home underdog, despite beating Purdue Fort Wayne by 18 points in their last meeting on Jan. 1. Following that loss, Purdue Fort Wayne rattled off a few wins in a row against lesser teams in the conference. However, once faced with serious competition again, they lost to both of the conference’s top two teams.
Purdue Fort Wayne might have more individual talent, but Green Bay is such a hard team to play against. The Phoenix are one of the slowest-paced teams in the country, ranking 353rd in adjusted tempo. They slow the game down to a crawl and make it a physical battle. That is why they get to the free-throw line an average of 5.9 times per game more than Purdue Fort Wayne does. Green Bay should grind out another win in this rematch with the Mastodons.
