Youngstown State vs Cleveland State Prediction 3/10/25 College Basketball Picks

The Youngstown State Penguins and the Cleveland State Vikings meet Monday in Horizon League Tournament college basketball action from Indiana Farmers Coliseum. Here’s a Youngstown State vs Cleveland State prediction. We will look at this from a betting perspective and determine the best Youngstown State vs Cleveland State pick. We will examine: 

The Youngstown State Penguins’ recent form and player performance

The Cleveland State Vikings’ recent form and player performance 

Recent betting trends and streaks involving the Youngstown State Penguins

Recent betting trends and streaks involving the Cleveland State Vikings

Recent betting trends in games played between Youngstown State and Cleveland State

A summary that ties it all together and produces a favorable betting outcome for the Youngstown State vs Cleveland State game

Youngstown State Penguins Betting Preview

The Penguins have had a couple of rough runs this year but they’ve managed to stay far above the .500 mark overall. Youngstown State opened on a 2-5 run but then hit the gas with an eight-game win streak that stretched from November 30 to New Year’s Day. After that came a bumpy 4-5 stretch with wins over Northern Kentucky, Green Bay, Penn State Shenango, and Wright State mixed with losses to Fort Wayne, Cleveland State, Milwaukee, Rob Morris, and IUPUI. It’s been a 6-2 run since then with losses to Milwaukee and Northern Kentucky among wins over Oakland, Detroit, Fort Wayne, Cleveland State, Green Bay, and Fort Wayne again. That gives the Penguins a 20-12 overall run across 32 games so far this season. 

In the Fort Wayne matchup on Thursday, the Penguins were in the locker room with a 26-26 tie at the break. Youngstown State hit a 46-41 run in the second half on the way to a 72-67 win. Leading the way with a double-double was Nico Galette with 22 points and 10 boards. Chris Carroll doubled up as well with 11 points and 12 rebounds, while Ty Harper had 20 points in 24 minutes of work on the floor during the victory. 

Cleveland State Vikings Betting Preview

Over on the Vikings’ side, they had a great stretch in December and January but outside of that, it’s been a struggle in the record column so far this year. Cleveland State went just 4-6 in their first 10 games, then beat Green Bay, Brescia, Oakland, Midway U, Wright State, IUPUI, Rob Morris, Youngstown State, Northern Kentucky, IUPUI, Detroit, Green Bay and Fort Wayne in succession. It’s been a 4-5 run since then with wins over Milwaukee, Detroit, Fort Wayne, and Northern Kentucky among losses to Northern Kentucky, Rob Morris, Youngstown State, Oakland, and Wright State. In total that gives the Vikings a 21-11 record in 32 outings so far. 

Matched up against Northern Kentucky on Thursday, the Vikings turned a 33-27 halftime edge into a 68-63 win with 35 second-half points. Lead contributor Dylan Arnett doubled up on 16 points with 10 boards, four assist,s and four blocks in the victory. 

Youngstown State vs Cleveland State Prediction 

I’m going to lean toward Youngstown State, but obviously you could make a case either way. The Penguins shot just 36.2 percent from the field and 17.9 percent (5-of-28) from outside in their latest win over Fort Wayne, coughing up 17 turnovers for 15 Mastodons points in a sloppy overall effort. That said, Youngstown State had a decisive advantage on the boards 49-33, and hit 25 of their 31 free throws (80.6 percent). The Pens have scored 68 or more points in 13 straight games now. 

These teams split the season series, with the away team getting a victory each time. The Penguins won most recently, taking it 68-60 on February 16. I like the total in this third matchup to finish even higher, with Youngstown State eking out a cover in the end. It’ll be a good game if both teams play to their capabilities. 

Andrew Jett's Pick: Youngstown State Penguins +1