Don’t sleep on tonight’s Mountain West Conference showdown between Colorado State Rams and Wyoming Cowboys. After all, we are only talking about a college basketball betting matchup that has “Game of the Day” potential. The two teams have lost all of five games combined on the season to date. The winner of tonight’s contest will stand alone in second place in the MWC standings. Oddsmakers’ Colorado State vs Wyoming prediction initially opened the home side as a small favorite. Back-and-forth college basketball betting picks action since now has the visitors laying a small number ahead of this coin-flip game.
Colorado State vs Wyoming College Basketball Betting Preview
Men’s College Basketball Regular Season Game
Colorado State Rams (16-2, 6-2 MWC) vs. Wyoming Cowboys (16-3, 5-1 MWC)
Date: Monday, January 31, 2022
Time: 8 p.m. EST
Venue: Arena-Auditorium — Laramie, WY
Coverage: FS1
Colorado State Rams Preview
After completing an unbeaten nonconference schedule, Colorado State has now suffered a pair of losses against Mountain West competition. The second of those came just this past Friday when the Rams were upset on their home floor by UNLV. It was a very poor defensive performance for CSU as they gave up 88 points in a 14-point loss.
The Rams have been one of the worst defenses in the country when defending close to the rim. A lack of size is something that could hinder them in tonight’s college basketball betting contest. David Roddy leads Colorado State in scoring averaging 18.3 points per game. He and guard Isaiah Stevens are the only Rams players averaging in double figures on the season. In fact, Roddy and Stevens combine to lead Colorado State in every major statistical category. Roddy has gotten a lot of attention nationally for his prowess on the glass (7.8 rebounds per game) in addition to his scoring.
While they have regressed from their unsustainable three-point shooting clip to begin the season, the Rams do figure to have matchup advantages on the perimeter in tonight’s contest. Colorado State will need to knock down some triples early to space things out and attempt to offset their lack of size down low.
Wyoming Cowboys Preview
Wyoming also dropped a game this past week, losing by three on the road to a red-hot Boise State team. That result marked their first and only Mountain West Conference loss to date. The Cowboys did manage to squeak out a two-point road win over Air Force on Friday night to get back on track. Sophomore forward Graham Ike leads Wyoming basketball in scoring this season averaging a whopping 19.9 points per game. He is also the Cowboys’ best rebounder by far, averaging 8.9 per contest. Needless to say, Colorado State doesn’t figure to have the size to contain Ike on the interior.
While Wyoming should look to feed Ike early and often tonight to take advantage of the mismatch, the Pokes have another terrific scorer and playmaker in senior guard Hunter Maldonado. His numbers this season include 18.5 points, 6.4 assists and 1.2 steals per game. Drake Jeffries and Xavier DuSell are also averaging double figures in the scoring department for Wyoming.
The biggest area of concern for the Cowboys is their defense. While they join Colorado State basketball among the top-three scoring offenses in the Mountain West, Wyoming’s inability to throw opponents out of their offensive rhythm has cost them. The Pokes’ ability to defend the three-point arc will be key tonight. This is actually something that they have done quite well so far this season.
Colorado State vs Wyoming College Basketball Betting Odds and Picks
All Colorado State vs Wyoming college basketball betting odds can be found at BetMGM Sportsbook.
Moneyline: CSU: (-125) | WYO: (+105)
Point Spread: CSU: -1.5 (-110) | WYO: +1.5 (-110)
Total: 144.5 — Over: (-110) | Under: (-110)
Colorado State vs Wyoming College Basketball Betting Trends
- The total has gone UNDER in each of the Rams’ last five games following an ATS loss.
- Each of the Rams’ last four road games has gone UNDER the total.
- Cowboys are 7-1 ATS in their last eight games against teams with a winning percentage of .600 or better.
- The total has gone OVER in three of the Cowboys’ last four home games with the lone miss being a push.
- College basketball betting underdogs are 9-2-1 ATS in the last 12 Colorado State vs Wyoming head-to-head matchups.
Colorado State vs Wyoming Prediction | College Basketball Betting Picks
Despite the line moving in Colorado State’s favor, it is impossible to look past the Rams’ lack of size in the post. While they may be able to get away with it on most nights, Graham Ike has the goods to destroy CSU inside tonight. With the home crowd inside Arena-Auditorium expected to be rocking for a white-out game, this also bodes well for Wyoming’s effort on the defensive end.
Taking everything into consideration, it’s worth taking a shot on the Pokes at a plus-money price to come out on top in tonight’s high-profile matchup. For what it’s worth, NumberFire’s game projections agree. They give Wyoming a 58.8% chance to win tonight’s college basketball betting matchup outright.
Colorado State vs Wyoming Prediction: Wyoming ML (+105 at BetMGM Sportsbook)
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