Northern Arizona (10-7) vs Sacramento State (5-11)
January 16, 2025 at 08:00 PM EST
The Line: Betting Odds: Northern Arizona -8.5 — Over/Under:
The Sacramento State Hornets and the Northern Arizona Lumberjacks meet Thursday in college basketball action from Findlay Toyota Center. Here’s a Sacramento State vs Northern Arizona prediction. We will look at this from a betting perspective and determine the best Sacramento State vs Northern Arizona pick. We will examine:
The Sacramento State Hornets’ recent form and player performance
The Northern Arizona Lumberjacks’ recent form and player performance
Recent betting trends and streaks involving the Sacramento State Hornets
Recent betting trends and streaks involving the Northern Arizona Lumberjacks
Recent betting trends in games played between Sacramento State and Northern Arizona
A summary that ties it all together and produces a favorable betting outcome for the Sacramento State vs Northern Arizona game
Sacramento State Hornets Betting Preview
It’s been a tough year for the Hornets so far. They’ve really only had one good run of games—and it was a pretty brief period. Sacramento State kicked the season off with a 2-9 showing, taking wins over only Cal Maritime and Air Force. Otherwise, it was losses versus Fresno State, UC San Diego, Cal State Northridge, California, Mercyhurst, Denver, Omaha, UC Davis, and Oregon State at that time. A three-game win streak ensued over Stanislaus State, Bethesda, and Portland State, and then Sacramento State slid back into the loss column. They’ve fallen to Idaho and Eastern Washington since then for a 5-11 overall record through 16 games.
Matched up against Eastern Washington on Saturday, the Hornets came out of the first half with an ugly 35-15 deficit. Sacramento State got better from there but didn’t end up getting close in a 65-54 loss. The only player on the team to finish in double-figures was Julian Vaughns with 11 points, two rebounds, three steals, one assist, and one block. Deonte Williams had eight points with four rebounds off the bench, as did Michael Wilson.
Northern Arizona Lumberjacks Betting Preview
Over on the Northern Arizona side, they’ve fared quite a bit better this season but they’ve still been a pretty choppy team in the win column. The Lumberjacks started on a 7-4 stretch through their first 11 games, losing to Stanford, Eastern Michigan, Oral Roberts, and Pepperdine with wins otherwise over Park University Gilbert, Nelson, Pacific, Embry-Riddle AZ, Incarnate Word, Houston Christian, and South Dakota. Since then it’s been a 3-3 stretch for the Lumberjacks. They’ve beaten Southern Utah, Benedictine AZ, and Weber State alongside losses to Idaho State, Montana, and Montana State for a 10-7 overall record thus far.
In the Montana State game on Saturday, the Lumberjacks hit a 25-17 advantage in the first half. Northern Arizona was blitzed 41-28 in the second half, however, resulting in a 58-53 defeat in the end. Leading the way in the losing effort was Trent McLaughlin with 24 points, three rebounds, and one steal. Carson Towt finished with a double-double on 12 points, 17 rebounds and three assists as the only other player on the team in double-figures. Jayden Jackson chipped in eight points with six rebounds and two assists in 34 minutes of action, though.
Why the Northern Arizona Lumberjacks will win
- Sacramento State has lost each of its last six night games against non-AP-ranked opponents.
- Northern Arizona has won seven of its last eight home games against non-AP-ranked opponents.
- Northern Arizona has won the first half in each of its last five night games against Sacramento State.
Why the Sacramento State Hornets will win
- Northern Arizona has lost each of its last five night games against Conference opponents.
Sacramento State vs Northern Arizona Prediction
I’m staying with Northern Arizona. The Lumberjacks could use a bounce-back effort here, however, following their second-half breakdown versus Montana State. Northern Arizona ended up shooting just 36.1 percent from the field in that one and 13.6 percent from 3-point range (6-of-13) alongside 12 turnovers. The rebounding (a 40-33 advantage) was good, though. That makes a 1-3 run over the last four games for the Lumberjacks, and they’ve given up 77 or more points in two of those three.
As for Sac State, they shot a miserable 28.1 percent from the field with a 43-36 rebounding disadvantage in their latest loss to Eastern Washington. The Hornets have been below 68 points in three straight games, so it shouldn’t take much for the Lumberjacks to get a lead and keep it here.