The Bears and Colonels are set to face off at 1:00 ET on ESPN+. The Colonels will host the game at Baptist Health Arena in Richmond, KY. The over/under for this Atlantic Sun conference contest is set at 154 points, with Eastern Kentucky being favored by -15 at home against Central Arkansas.

CENTRAL ARKANSAS BEARS VS EASTERN KENTUCKY COLONELS BETTING PICK

The Pick: Central Arkansas Bears +15

This game will be played at Baptist Health Arena at 1:00 ET on Saturday, February 24th.

WHY BET THE CENTRAL ARKANSAS BEARS:

  • We have this one finishing with a projected score of 76-69 in favor of the Colonels.
  • Even though we have Eastern Kentucky winning straight-up, we like Central Arkansas at +15.
  • The over/under is currently sitting at 154 points, and we like the under with a projected 145 points.

Will the Bears Defense Show Up in Richmond?

Central Arkansas comes into this game with a 9-21 record, including a 5-9 mark in Atlantic Sun play. They have struggled on the road this season, going just 4-12, and they are currently on a three-game losing streak.

For the year, Central Arkansas has been the underdog in 27 of their 30 games, going 7-20 in those contests. In their last game, they lost to Bellarmine by a score of 68-65.

As the underdog this season, Central Arkansas has a 14-12-1 record vs. the spread. On the road, the Bears are 10-6 vs. the spread this year and they have gone 3-0 vs. the spread in their last 3 road games. Overall, Central Arkansas has an ATS record of 14-13-1 this season.

Central Arkansas has an over/under record of 12-15-1 this season, and their games have averaged 149.2 points per game. Today’s over/under line of 154 is higher than the average over/under line in their games this year (151.3). So far, 10 of their games have finished with more points than today’s over/under line. The average scoring total in their last three games is 142 points.

Coming off their recent game, the Central Arkansas offense tallied 65 points in a matchup against Bellarmine. Their field goal percentage for the game was 38.6%, and they made 9 threes. Leading Central Arkansas in scoring vs. Bellarmine was Tucker Anderson with his 24 points. Elias Cato also added 12 points for the Bears.

So far, the Bears’ defense is ranked 293rd in the country at 77.5 points per contest. So far, the Central Arkansas defense is giving up an average of 8.3 offensive rebounds per game and are turning teams over 12.4 times per game (635th).

Will the Colonels Pull Through as the Favored Home Team?

Eastern Kentucky is 16-11 this season and has won three straight games. They are 11-2 in Atlantic Sun play and have gone 8-3 at home compared to 5-8 on the road. The Colonels are favored by 15 points tonight and have gone 12-5 as the favorite this season.

Eastern Kentucky has won seven straight games at home and has gone 9-1 in their last 10 games at home. They are coming off a 75-72 win over North Alabama and have gone 5-0 in their last five games at home.

Eastern Kentucky has an ATS record of 13-11 this season, including a mark of 6-5 at home. Over their last 10 games as the favorite, the Colonels have gone 7-3 vs. the spread. In their last three home games, Eastern Kentucky is 2-1 ATS.

Eastern Kentucky’s over/under record this season sits at 11-13 and the average scoring total in their games is 153.8 points. So far, 13 of their games have finished with more points than today’s line of 154. In their last three games, the over/under record is 1-2 and the average scoring total is 148 points.

Against North Alabama, the Eastern Kentucky had a tough time putting up points compared to their season average of 81.4 points per game. They scored 75 points and posted a field goal percentage of 45% in the game. The top scorer for the Colonels was Leland Walker with 24 points, while Tayshawn Comer also added 14 to the scoreboard.

The Colonels’ defense is presently ranked 274th nationally, allowing an average of 76.2 points per contest. The Eastern Kentucky defense is coming off a game in which they gave up a total of 72 points and allowed North Alabama to connect on 7 threes.