The Southern Utah Thunderbirds will try to pay off for their supporters on Saturday when they play host to the Northern Colorado Bears at Centrum Arena in NCAA basketball action.

The Thunderbirds sport records of 3-7 and 2-6 ATS heading into this battle, while the Bears have 3-6 and 1-6 ATS marks on the season. The OVER/UNDER records are 1-3 for the Thunderbirds and 4-1 for the Bears.



View Northern Colorado vs Southern Utah Odds and Stats.

Betting Line:
If you were backing the visitors in this one, the Bears were listed as 2.5-point favorites earlier in the day at Sportsbook.

Power Rankings / Prediction:
The power rankings show a disparity between these teams, with the Thunderbirds rated this week at No. 293 and the Bears sitting at No. 69. It may or may not play a role in Odds Shark score prediction modelling that produced a 71-60 result in favor of the Bears.



How They Match Up:
Rebounding is always a key handicapping consideration and Bears is ranked No. 115 in NCAA hoops at 36.8 per game. Contrast that with Southern Utah’s No. 87 mark in the paint. When it comes to three-point shooting, Southern Utah is the No. 303-ranked team in the country at 4.5 per game, while Northern Colorado rates No. 104 at 6.9 per game.

Defensively, Northern Colorado features the nation's No. 223-rated defense on the road, allowing 73.3 points per game. Southern Utah, meanwhile, comes in at No. 150 nationally in scoring at home.

Northern Colorado won its last outing, a 75-66 result against North Dakota on December 21. They covered in that game as a 1-point underdog. Northern Colorado got 20 points from Derrick Barden en route to a 75-66 victory over North Dakota on Friday at Betty Engelstad Sioux Center.

Southern Utah was a 72-47 loser in its last match on the road against Denver. They failed to cover the 18-point spread as underdogs. Southern Utah was run off the court by the Pioneers on Friday as Denver routed them 72-47 at Magness Arena.


Northern Colorado Bears Trends:
When playing on Saturday are 5-3
Before playing Weber State are 6-4
After playing North Dakota are 2-1
After a win are 1-9

Southern Utah Thunderbirds Trends:
When playing on Saturday are 5-5
Before playing Northern Arizona are 2-2
After playing Denver are 2-4
After a loss are 4-6

A few Bears at Thunderbirds trends to consider:
Northern Colorado is 1-5 ATS in its last 6 games on the road
Northern Colorado is 1-8 SU in its last 9 games on the road
Southern Utah is 7-3 SU in its last 10 games at home
Southern Utah is 4-12 SU in its last 16 games


Next up:
Northern Colorado at Weber State, Thursday, January 3
Southern Utah at Northern Arizona, Saturday, January 5