The Northern Colorado Bears (11-19, 6-12 Big Sky) and Portland State Vikings (12-18, 6-11) square off Saturday in a Big Sky Conference Tournament 1st-round matchup. Tip from Idaho Central Arena in Boise is at 10 p.m. ET (ESPN+). Below, we analyze Tipico Sportsbook’s lines around the Northern Colorado vs. Portland State odds, and make our expert college basketball picks, predictions and bets.
Northern Colorado snapped a 3-game losing and non-cover streak with an 87-72 win and cover against Idaho State in the regular-season finale on Feb. 27. The Over has cashed in 4 straight, and 6 of the past 7 games, for NorCo.
Portland State ended the season on a 3-game losing skid, and it failed to cover in each of those outings. The Vikings are 2-8 against the spread (ATS) in the past 10 games overall while the Over has connected in 6 of their last 7 games.
Northern Colorado swept the regular-season series, winning 69-67 in Portland on Jan. 14 and 88-79 at home on Feb. 9. The Bears covered both meetings, too, while splitting the Over-Under.