Montana State vs Northern Colorado Prediction 3/11/25 College Basketball Picks

The Montana State Bobcats and the Northern Colorado Bears meet Tuesday in college basketball action from the Idaho Central Arena. We will look at this from a betting perspective and determine the best bets for this game. Here’s a Montana State vs. Northern Colorado prediction.

Matchup History

The Northern Colorado Bears swept the regular season meetings between these two teams thanks to a 73-66 win over Montana State on February 8th, 2025, which followed an 83-82 win over the Bobcats on the road back on January 9th, 2025.

Montana State Recap

The Montana State Bobcats come into the Big Sky tournament semifinals after upsetting Idaho State 80-60 last time out.

Bobcats Keep Hopes Of Defending Big Sky Title Alive

Brandon Walker leads the Bobcats in scoring with 14.7 PPG and in rebounding with 4.9 RPG while Max Agbonkpolo has 10.1 PPG with 4.3 RPG.  Patrick McMahon has 10.2 PPG with 3.4 RPG to cap off the trio of double-digit scorers for Montana State so far this season. Tyler Patterson has 8 PPG and Jabe Mullins has 9.3 PPG with 3.3 RPG and a team-high 2.5 APG to lead the Bobcats in the assist department so far this season. As a team, Montana State is averaging 72.2 PPG on 46.2% shooting from the field, 34.6% from three, and 72.2% from the foul line so far this season.

Why the Montana State Bobcats will win

• Montana State has won each of its last 10 games at Idaho Central Arena.

Northern Colorado Recap

The Northern Colorado Bears booked their spot in the Big Sky tournament semifinals thanks to a 76-52 win over Weber State last time out.

Bears Looking To Make Final As Top Seed

Isaiah Hawthorne leads the Bears in scoring with 17.8 PPG along with 5.4 RPG while Langston Reynolds has 16.2 PPG with a team-high 5.8 RPG to lead the Bears in rebounding so far this season in addition to 3.5 APG. Brock Wisne has 10 PPG with 4.3 RPG and Jaron Rillie has 11.7 PPG with 5.7 RPG and a team-high 4.7 APG to lead Northern Colorado in assists and cap off the group of double-digit scorers for Northern Colorado so far this season. Marcell McCreary has 7.8 PPG with 3.4 RPG while Quinn Denker’s also chipped in 7.2 PPG as well on the year. As a team, Northern Colorado is averaging 81.1 PPG on 50.9% shooting from the field, 37.6% from three, and 72.3% from the foul line this season. 

Why the Northern Colorado Bears will win

• Northern Colorado has won each of its last seven night games.
• Montana State has lost each of its last four games when playing with a rest disadvantage.

Total Points Facts

• Seven of Northern Colorado’s last eight night games at a neutral venue have produced a total of 147+ points.
• Seven of Montana State’s last eight night games against Conference opponents have produced a total of 143 or fewer points.

Montana State vs. Northern Colorado prediction

I’m leaning towards Montana State and the points in this game. These two teams played a pair of close games in the regular season and while Northern Colorado was the best team in the Big Sky this season, I’m not ready to write off the three-time defending Big Sky champions. I know Montana State has a new staff in terms of coaching from those teams, but there are still a lot of pieces from those successful rosters, and I think that Montana State could at the very least keep this game somewhat close. Give me the Bobcats and the points in this one.

Chris Ruffolo's Pick: Montana State +4.5