The Northwestern State Demons will try to pay off for their supporters on Friday when they play host to the Sam Houston State Bearkats at Merrell Center in NCAA basketball action.

This game is part of the Southland Tournament which will decide the conference champion and help decide March Madness seedings. Merrell Center is the location for this game, which makes it a neutral-site matchup.

This season, the Demons are 21-8 overall and 0-1 ATS ATS, while the Bearkats are 17-16 and 4-3 ATS against the number. As for the totals, Northwestern State boasts a 0-0-1 on the OU, and Sam Houston State is 1-2.



View Sam Houston State vs Northwestern State Odds and Stats.

Power Rankings / Prediction:
The Demons sit at No. 76 in the current college hoops power poll here at Odds Shark, while the Bearkats sit at No. 107 on the same chart. The computers running our scores simulations have concluded that the Demons will win this game 80-73.



How They Match Up:
The game also pits Northwestern State's No. 1-ranked offense, averaging 82.4 PPG, against a Bearkats defense that ranks No. 53 at 61.4 PPG. The Demons field goal percentage has averaged 46.2% so far, more than the Bearkats marksmen have achieved on the year, 38.7% per game.

Defensively, Sam Houston State features the nation's No. 140-rated defense on the road, allowing 68.1 points per game. Northwestern State, meanwhile, comes in at No. 1 nationally in scoring at home.

Sam Houston State was a 58-55 Sportsbook in their most recent outing on the road against Oral Roberts. They covered the 6-point spread as underdogs. Sam Houston State got 13 points from Paul Baxter en route to a 58-55 victory over Oral Roberts on Thursday at Merrell Center.

Northwestern State was an 84-73 Sportsbook in its last match at home against Sam Houston State. Northwestern State got 24 points from Shamir Davis en route to an 84-73 victory over Sam Houston State on Saturday at Prather Coliseum.