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We return with another installment in our college basketball odds series, this one covering the Horizon League Tournament Championship Game. The Northern Kentucky Norse (21-12) will take on the Cleveland State Vikings (21-12) in a tightly-contested game. Check out our college basketball odds series for our Northern Kentucky-Cleveland State prediction and pick.
The Northern Kentucky Norse finished in a three-way tie for second in the Horizon League with a 14-6 record. They handled Oakland in their first game of the tournament and most recently beat 1-seed Youngstown State to advance to the championship game. They won the most recent meeting between these two teams in a nail-biter and will hope to take this in more convincing fashion.
The Cleveland State Vikings, too, were tied for second in the Horizon League with a 14-6 record. They advanced in a close win against Robert Morris and were able to topple 2-seed Milwaukee by 13 points in the semifinal game. They'll be looking to win the season series at 1-1 against the Norse and claim the title of Horizon League Champions.
Here are the Northern Kentucky-Cleveland State college basketball odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
Horizon League Championship Odds: Northern Kentucky-Cleveland State Odds
Northern Kentucky: -2.5 (-118)
Cleveland State: +2.5 (-104)
Over: 126.5 (-105)
Under: 126.5 (-115)
How To Watch Northern Kentucky vs. Cleveland State
TV: ESPN, ESPN+
Stream: ESPN App, fuboTV
Time: 7:00 p.m. ET/4:00 p.m. PT
Article Continues Below
*Watch college basketball LIVE with fuboTV (click for a free trial)*
Why Northern Kentucky Could Cover The Spread
The Norse have won six of their last seven games, with their only loss being to Cleveland State. In that game, the shooting numbers for both sides were nearly identical, but the Norse were sizably out-rebounded and turned the ball over more. It was the performance of Marques Warrick that kept them in that game, so they'll look to him once again as he comes off a 22-point performance in their last tournament game.
The Norse shoot much better from three than their opponents tonight with their 35%. Northern Kentucky is 14-17 ATS on the season, but are 7-0 ATS in their most recent games. If they can continue their hot shooting, it should be the difference as both of these teams match up very similarly. Look for the Norse to shoot the ball early and be aggressive from three.
Why Cleveland State Could Cover The Spread
Cleveland State has won seven of their last eight games and are reeling with confidence right now. They won both of their tournament games fairly handedly and shot a respective 48% and 46% from the field as a team in their wins. They also did a good job of limiting turnovers to just 21 between the two games. They'll have to be sharp if they want to beat this Northern Kentucky team again. They slightly edged the Norse in the last meeting, but came up short in the first.
Cleveland State has been a consistent team and can rely on their starters for a certain level of play. Tristan Enaruna leads the way with Tae Williams acting as their floor general. If they can spread the floor, they'll have the better opportunities to create one-on-one looks. This game will be close so they'll have to dig their heels in and be better defensively.
Final Northern Kentucky-Cleveland State Prediction & Pick
This is as close of a game as we can get today as both teams have split the season series at 1-1, with both games being decided by a one-point margin. Furthermore, in the last 10 meetings between the squads, they've split at 5-5 SU and 5-5 ATS. There's truly no telling who will have the advantage since both teams are near mirrors of each other statistically when they face off. Let's take the slight favorites in Northern Kentucky and bet the Norse moneyline.
Final Northern Kentucky-Cleveland State Prediction & Pick: Northern Kentucky Norse ML (-156)
