IUPUI vs Cleveland State Prediction 3/2/2026 Today’s College Basketball Picks

The IU Indy Jaguars and the Cleveland State Vikings meet Monday in college basketball action from the Wolstein Center. We will look at this from a betting perspective and determine the best bets for this game. Here’s an IU Indy Jaguars vs. Cleveland State Vikings prediction.

IU Indy Jaguars Recap

The IU Indy Jaguars come into this game as the 11-seed, finishing the year at 7-24 overall including a 3-17 mark in Horizon League conference play.

Jaguars Looking To Spring Upset

Kyler D’Augustino leads the Jaguars in scoring with 18.3 PPG along with 3.2 RPG and 3.5 APG while Jaxon Edwards has 11.2 PPG with a team-high 5.4 RPG to lead IU Indy in rebounding. Maguire Mitchell has 11.5 PPG with 2.3 RPG to cap off the trio of double-digit scorers for IU Indy so far this season while Finley Woodward has 8.8 PPG with 5.3 RPG and a team-high 6.2 APG to lead the Jaguars in assists. Micah Davis has 9.5 PPG with 2.9 APG as well this season. As a team, IU Indy is averaging 83.2 PPG on 45.9% shooting from the field, 32.4% from three and 72.7% from the foul line this season.

Cleveland State Vikings Recap

The Cleveland State Vikings come into this game as the 10-seed, finishing the year at 10-21 this season, including a 6-14 mark in Horizon League conference play. 

Vikings Looking To Avoid Early Exit

Dayan Nessah leads the Vikings in scoring and rebounding with 15.5 PPG and 6.4 RPG while Tre Beard has 13 PPG with 3.2 RPG and a team-high 3.4 APG as well this season. Chevalier Emery has 12.6 PPG and Jaidon Lipscomb has 12.5 PPG with 2.9 RPG and 2.9 APG to round out the group of double-digit scorers for Cleveland State so far this season. Josiah Harris has 9 PPG with 6.6 RPG as well and Preist Ryan has 6.7 PPG with 3.7 RPG this season. As a team, Cleveland State is averaging 79.7 PPG on 45.2% shooting from the field, 37.4% from three and 75.2% from the foul line this season.

IU Indy Jaguars @ Cleveland State Vikings Betting Trends: March 2, 2026

Why the Cleveland State Vikings will win

• IU Indy has lost each of its last nine Conference Tournament games.
• Cleveland State has won 14 of its last 15 games against IU Indy.
• IU Indy has lost the first half in each of its last seven Conference Tournament games.

Why the IU Indy Jaguars will win

• Cleveland State has lost each of its last eight games following a road loss.
• Cleveland State has lost the first half in seven of its last eight games.

Matchup/League Facts

• Cleveland State ranks 362nd among Division 1 teams for opponent points per game this season (85.6).
• Cleveland State ranks 362nd among Division 1 teams for defensive rating this season (121.6).
• IU Indy ranks 365th among Division 1 teams for opponent field goal percentage this season (50.5%).
• IU Indy ranks 1st among Division 1 teams for field goal attempts per game this season (68.7).

IU Indy Jaguars vs. Cleveland State Vikings Prediction

I’m on Cleveland State here. I just think that Cleveland State being at home is a big edge here considering how poor IU Indy played on the road and overall this season defensively, and the Jaguars are going to have trouble in this matchup as well. Cleveland State didn’t have a great season overall, but I still think they’re the better team here and I think the Vikings bag the win and cover in this one.

Chris Ruffolo's Pick: Cleveland State -1.5