A key college battle sees the visiting Sam Houston State Bearkats travelling to Oral Roberts Thursday to take on the Golden Eagles.

It's a game in the Southland Tournament, which will decide the conference title, not to mention deciding which teams make the Field of 68. This matchup is a neutral-site affair being played at Merrell Center.

The Golden Eagles currently sports a 18-13 record overall in NCAAB action, and have posted a corresponding betting slate of 2-2 ATS. The Bearkats are 16-16 and 3-3 ATS. Betting totals have seen the Golden Eagles produce a 1-2 OVER/UNDER record on the season, while the Bearkats have gone 1-1 against the number.



View Sam Houston State vs Oral Roberts Odds and Stats.

Power Rankings / Prediction:
The Golden Eagles sit at No. 94 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 Golden Eagles will win this game 70-69.



How They Match Up:
Rating these schools in several key categories is important for handicappers and Oral Roberts has the nation's No. 93-rated offensive output, at 70.8 PPG. The visiting Bearkats defense ranks No. 54 allowing on average 61.6 PPG. The Golden Eagles FG% has averaged 46.2% so far, more than the Bearkats marksmen have achieved on the year, 38.4% per game.

Defensively, Sam Houston State features the nation's No. 160-rated defense on the road, allowing 68.9 points per game. Oral Roberts, meanwhile, comes in at No. 102 nationally in scoring at home.

In their last action, Sam Houston State was a 69-63 Sportsbook at home against Central Arkansas. They covered the 5.5-point spread as favorites. The Bearkats got 19 points from Darius Gatson as Sam Houston State ran past Central Arkansas 69-63 on Wednesday at Merrell Center.

In their last action, Oral Roberts was an 86-84 loser on the road against Central Arkansas. Warren Niles chucked in a team-high 30 points for Oral Roberts on Saturday, but they still came up short in losing 86-84 at Farris Center.