Bellarmine Knights (14-7) vs Pepperdine Waves (13-12)
Game Info: Tuesday, March 23, 2021 at 8:00 pm (Ocean Center)
Betting Odds: Bellarmine Knights +6 -- Over/Under: 150 Click Here for the Latest Odds
The Pepperdine Waves and Bellarmine Knights will square off this Tuesday night at the Ocean Center in the Semifinals of the CBI Tournament.
The Pepperdine Waves (13-12) was able to advance to the Semifinals after easily defeating the Longwood Lancers, 80-66, on Monday night. Pepperdine trailed by a 32-31 margin at halftime, however, the Waves offense was outstanding in the 2nd half and Pepperdine was able to pull away after taking a 65-54 lead with 6:10 left in regulation. Pepperdine shot 49.2% from the field and 31.3% from beyond the arc while Longwood shot 44.2% from the field and 33.3% from beyond the arc. Pepperdine outrebounded Longwood by a 40-25 margin while also winning the turnover battle by a 14-11 margin. Leading the way for the Waves was Kessler Edwards who had 22 points, 5 rebounds, & 1 assist.
On the season, Pepperdine is averaging 76.4 ppg on 45.8% shooting from the field. The Waves are averaging 6.9 three-pointers per game on 32.2% shooting from beyond the arc. Offensively, Pepperdine has been led by Colbey Ross (18.0 ppg, 3.9 rpg, 7.7 apg, 1.2 spg), Kessler Edwards (17.1 ppg, 6.8 rpg, 1.2 apg, 1.0 spg, 1.0 bpg), Jan Zidek (9.4 ppg, 3.5 rpg), & Sedrick Altman (8.3 ppg, 3.4 rpg, 2.1 apg).
Defensively, Pepperdine is allowing their opponents to average 74.2 ppg on 44.0% shooting from the field. The Waves have a rebound margin of -1.0 and a turnover margin of 0.4.
The Bellarmine Knights (14-7) was able to reach the Semifinals after defeating the Army Black Knights, 77-67, on Monday afternoon. Bellarmine trailed Army by a 40-31 margin at halftime, however, the Knights dominated Army in the 2nd half on both ends of the court and were able to pull away after taking a 61-51 lead with 11:01 left in regulation. Bellarmine shot 47.4% from the field and 35.3% from beyond the arc while holding Army to just 39.3% from the field and 24.0% from beyond the arc. Bellarmine outrebounded Army by a 34-33 margin while both teams committed 12 turnovers. Leading the way for the Knights was Pedro Bradshaw who had a double-double with 31 points, 11 rebounds, 1 assist, 3 blocks, & 1 steal.
On the season, Bellarmine is averaging 72.6 ppg on 50.1% shooting from the field. The Knights are averaging 6.3 three-pointers per game on 37.1% shooting from beyond the arc. Offensively, Bellarmine has been led by Pedro Bradshaw (16.1 ppg, 7.1 rpg, 2.5 apg, 1.6 spg), Dylan Penn (13.0 ppg, 3.6 rpg, 3.6 apg), CJ Fleming (12.2 ppg, 2.3 rpg, 1.8 apg, 1.0 spg), & Ethan Claycomb (10.0 ppg, 3.5 rpg, 2.8 apg, 1.0 spg).
Defensively, Bellarmine is allowing their opponents to average 68.3 ppg on 46.0% shooting from the field. The Knights have a rebound margin of -0.9 and a turnover margin of -3.8.
The Waves are 6-0 ATS in their last 6 neutral site games as a favorite and 12-3-1 ATS in their last 16 games overall. The Knights are 7-3 ATS in their last 10 games following a straight up win and 9-4 ATS in their last 13 games overall.
We should expect to see plenty of offense in this one as both Pepperdine and Bellarmine like to score the basketball and play little defense. Pepperdine is the bigger name and certainly is a solid team, however, Bellarmine was impressive this year and got some great experience earlier in the season as they played well against both Duke & Notre Dame. I expect to be a close, high-scoring game, so my plays here are to take Bellarmine and the Over. Good Luck!
Brett’s Pick Bellarmine Knights +6 / Over 150
AUTHOR: Brett Nault
Follow Brett Nault on Twitter @BrettCU05