As March Madness betting time approaches, the NCAA basketball season is in full swing. IPFW at Youngstown State promises to light up the scoreboard inside the Beeghly Physical Education Center in Youngstown.
Purdue-Fort Wayne at Youngstown State -5, Total 151, Friday, 5 pm ET
Action: Over 151
Fort Wayne will yield bushels of points in this spot. Away from home, the Mastodons have given up 83, 82, 87, 77, and 81 in back-to-back games over their past six contests.
| BetMGM Sportsbook | Point Spread | Moneyline | Totals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Purdue-Ft. Wayne | +5 (-110) | +205 | O 151 (-105) |
| Youngstown | -5 (-110) | -250 | U 151 (-115) |
Youngstown is third in the country with an effective possession ratio of 1.017, which only improves when its on its own Beeghly court, where Over has covered in four of its past six games. The Penguins, however, are not as steadfast at the other end of the court, and that’s where Fort Wayne will thrive. The Mastodons own an effective field-goal percentage of 58.1%, fourth-best in the nation. It makes 3-point shots at a 40.4% clip, fifth-best in the country, and 2-pointers at a lethal 56.4%, the 14th-best figure in the land.
However, the Mastodons turn it over at an alarming 25.2% rate; only Idaho State (25.6%) is worse. That will lead to some easy Penguins buckets. Both favor offense much more than defense, which will keep the scorekeeper quite busy inside Beeghly.
Fort Wayne’s Jarred Godfrey, a junior guard from Atlanta, might lead the points parade. He broke out for 41, and snagged 9 rebounds, at home in a 96-89 overtime victory over Illinois-Chicago on Jan. 8, and he had a four-game run at the start of the season in which he produced 93 points. It’s been eight games since he hit 20 points, however—with 23 at Wisconsin-Milwaukee—so he’s overdue to make some noise.
Penguins senior swingman Naz Bohannon went for 32, on 12-for-15 shooting, in a victory over Green Bay on this court on New Year’s Day, and he tallied at least 18 on nine other occasions. After missing eight consecutive games with an ankle injury, junior guard Darius Quisenberry has rung up 53 points in Youngstown’s past three games. If his shot is on—he connected on only 14 of 45 attempts since returning—he’ll register in the low-20s, and this will be an easy Over. Senior forward Michael Akuchie has recorded double figures in points in each of his past seven games. Again, two poor defenses will set the stage for this scoring bonanza.
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