IPFW at Wisconsin-Green Bay: 2/25/21 College Basketball Picks and Prediction
Photo by Jason Getz-USA TODAY Sports
Wisconsin-Green Bay Phoenix (8-16) vs IPFW Mastodons (7-14)
Game Info: Thursday, February 25, 2021 at 8:00 pm (Resch Center)
Betting Odds: Wisconsin-Green Bay Phoenix -5.5 -- Over/Under: 148.5 Click Here for the Latest Odds
Where to Watch: ESPN+ Stream College Basketball all season on ESPN+. Sign up now! 
The Purdue Fort Wayne Mastodons will travel the Resch Center to take on the Green Bay Phoenix this Thursday night in the first round of the Horizon League Championship.
The Purdue Fort Wayne Mastodons finished their regular season with a 7-14 record after being defeated by the Cleveland State Vikings, 67-55, this past Saturday. Purdue Fort Wayne was able to pull off the upset against Cleveland State the night before and held a 30-22 lead at halftime in this one, however, the Vikings dominated the Mastodons on both ends of the court in the 2nd half and could not fight back after Cleveland State took a 53-42 lead with 9:19 left in regulation. Purdue Fort Wayne shot 45.5% from the field and 40.0% from beyond the arc while Cleveland State shot 44.2% from the field and 18.8% from beyond the arc. Purdue Fort Wayne was outrebounded by Cleveland State by a 29-28 margin and lost the turnover battle by a 17-6 margin in the loss. Leading the way for the Mastodons was Jarred Godfrey who had 10 points, 4 rebounds, & 4 assists.
On the season, Purdue Fort Wayne is averaging 73.1 ppg on 50.2% shooting from the field. The Mastodons are averaging 8.5 three-pointers per game on 39.3% shooting from beyond the arc. Offensively, Purdue Fort Wayne has been led by Jarred Godfrey (15.8 ppg, 5.3 rpg, 3.4 apg, 1.5 spg), Jalon Pipkins (13.7 ppg, 3.0 rpg, 3.0 apg, 1.2 spg), Bobby Planutis (10.0 ppg, 3.2 rpg, 1.4 apg), & Donte Billups (8.2 ppg, 4.3 rpg, 1.1 apg).
Defensively, Purdue Fort Wayne is allowing their opponents to average 77.0 ppg on 45.5% shooting from the field. The Mastodons have a rebound margin of -0.3 and a turnover margin of -5.0.
The Green Bay Phoenix finished their regular season with an 8-16 record after defeating the UIC Flames, 69-59, this past Saturday night. Green Bay had one of their better defense performances of the season and was able to pull away in the 2nd half after taking a 59-51 lead with 3:42 left in regulation. Green Bay shot 45.9% from the field and 15.4% from beyond the arc while UIC shot 37.9% from the field and 34.8% from beyond the arc. Green Bay outrebounded UIC by a 39-35 margin and committed just 3 turnovers in the victory. Leading the way for the Phoenix was Amari Davis who had 20 points, 7 rebounds, & 1 assist.
On the season, Green Bay is averaging 71.1 ppg on 43.3% shooting from the field. The Phoenix are averaging 6.9 three-pointers per game on 33.4% shooting from beyond the arc. Offensively, Green Bay has been led by Amari Davis (17.2 ppg, 3.6 rpg, 1.9 apg, 1.4 spg), Josh Jefferson (14.8 ppg, 3.3 rpg, 2.7 apg, 1.0 spg), PJ Pipes (14.0 ppg, 4.2 rpg, 3.1 apg), & Emmanuel Ansong (9.9 ppg, 5.2 rpg, 1.1 apg).
Defensively, Green Bay is allowing their opponents to average 76.0 ppg on 47.3% shooting from the field. The Phoenix have a rebound margin of -3.4 and a turnover margin of 1.0.
The Mastodons are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 road games vs. a team with a winning home record, however, are just 1-3-1 ATS in their last 5 Tuesday games. The Phoenix are 5-0-1 ATS in their last 6 Thursday games and 6-2 ATS in their last 8 home games.
Purdue Fort Wayne has lost 9 of their last 10 games, however, the Mastodons do come into the regular season tournament with some momentum as they were able to defeat Cleveland State last weekend and has an offense that currently ranks 10th in FG% & 3P-FG%. Green Bay was able to easily defeat Purdue Fort Wayne in both of their games this season, however, as Green Bay is a team that can struggle slowing down opposing offenses as they rank just t-289th in scoring defense & 319th in defensive FG%, I think Purdue Fort Wayne can do enough with the points to get us a cover. Good Luck!
Brett’s Pick Purdue Fort Wayne Mastodons +5.5
AUTHOR: Brett Nault
Mitch's Take...
