Portland State vs Northern Arizona Prediction 1/18/25 College Basketball Picks

The Portland State Vikings are visiting the Northern Arizona Lumberjacks on Saturday, January 18th at the J. Lawrence Walkup Skydome. We will look at this from a betting perspective and determine the best bets for this game. Here’s a Portland State Vikings vs Northern Arizona Lumberjacks Prediction. We will examine:

The Northern Arizona Lumberjacks’ recent form and player performance

The Portland State Vikings’ recent form and player performance

Recent betting trends and streaks involving the Northern Arizona Lumberjacks

Recent betting trends and streaks involving the Portland State Vikings

Recent betting trends in games played between Portland State Vikings and Northern Arizona Lumberjacks

A summary that ties it all together and produces a favorable betting outcome for the Portland State Vikings vs Northern Arizona Lumberjacks game

Northern Arizona Lumberjacks Preview

The Northern Arizona Lumberjacks have an 11-7 record this season and are sitting in the 7th place in the Big Sky. Northern Arizona is coming off a 77-53 win over Sacramento State. The Lumberjacks are 7-7 against the spread, and 10-4 in over/under while having an 8-1 home record. 

Offensively, Northern Arizona is averaging 79.5 points per game, which is 77th in the nation. Defensively, they allow 70.4 points per game (153rd). The Lumberjacks shoot 46.8% from the field (91st) and 34.3% from beyond the arc (160th). The Lumberjacks shoot 64.2% from the free-throw line (347th) and are grabbing 40.1 rebounds per game (30th).

Trenton McLaughin leads Northern Arizona in scoring with an average of 22.7 points, 3.8 rebounds, and a team-high 3.5 assists, while Carson Towt adds 13.6 points and a team-high 11.8 rebounds.

Portland State Vikings Preview

The Portland State Vikings have a 10-7 record this season and are sitting in third place in the Big Sky. Portland State is coming off a 69-72 loss to Northern Colorado. The Vikings are 8-6 against the spread, and 7-7 in over/under while having a 3-5 road record.

Offensively, Portland State is averaging 79.1 points per game, which ranks 85th in the nation. Defensively, they are allowing 71.4 points per game (192nd). The Vikings shoot 48.5% from the field (33rd) and 33% from beyond the arc (228th). The Vikings shoot 62.4% from the free throw line (358th) and are grabbing 37.6 rebounds per game (100th).

Jaylin Henderson leads Portland State in scoring this season, with an average of 13.6 points and 3.1 rebounds per game, while Isiah Johnson adds 11 points and a team-high 5.6 rebounds.

Why the Northern Arizona Lumberjacks will win

• Northern Arizona has won eight of its last nine home games.
• Portland State has lost each of its last seven Saturday night games against the Big Sky Conference.
• The home team has won the first half in eight of Northern Arizona’s last nine games.

Why the Portland State Vikings will win

• Northern Arizona has lost each of its last eight Saturday night games at Findlay Toyota Court.
• Portland State has won seven of its last eight night games against Northern Arizona.
• Portland State has won the first half in eight of its last nine night games against Northern Arizona.

Matchup/League Facts

• Northern Arizona ranks 26th among Division 1 teams for turnover percentage this season (12.7%).
• Northern Arizona ranks 27th among Division 1 teams for field goal attempts per game this season (63.8).
• Portland State ranks 357th among Division 1 teams for free throw percentage this season (62.4%).
• Portland State ranks 16th among Division 1 teams for blocks per game this season (5.3).

Portland State Vikings vs Northern Arizona Lumberjacks Head-to-Head

Portland State is 5-1 in their last 6 meetings against Northern Arizona, while Northern Arizona is 3-2 against the spread in their last 5 meetings. Over is 8-2 in their last 10 meetings, and in their most recent meeting last season, Portland State won 83-68 at home, covering the spread, as the game went over the point total.

Portland State Vikings vs Northern Arizona Lumberjacks Prediction

In this Portland State Vikings vs Northern Arizona Lumberjacks Prediction, Northern Arizona is coming as -3 home favorites. Both teams have almost identical records so far this season and are very close both offensively and defensively. Despite them having top-100 offenses this season, both teams have been involved in some lower-scoring games lately, as they are 7-0 to the under in their last 7 games combined, and I expect this strong trend to continue. Take the under.

Nikos Lagouretos's Pick: Under 144