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The Wright State Raiders dropped two regular-season games to Cleveland State earlier this season. Can Wright State finally notch a win over Cleveland State when it matters, in the semifinals of the Horizon League? Let’s see what the NCAAB odds for this matchup tell us!
Wright State Raiders vs. Cleveland State Vikings
Monday, March 7, 2022 – 7:00 PM EST at Indiana Farmers Coliseum
The Wright State Raiders will take on the Cleveland State Vikings in the Horizon League semifinals. Throughout the season, Wright State got much better and is coming off a win over Oakland on Thursday to start the Horizon tournament.
The Raiders won three of their final four regular-season games and while they've had some poor losses this year, they always step up when it matters most, it seems. Meanwhile, Cleveland State defeated Robert Morris easily to move on to this game. Cleveland State had a great season but kind of collapsed in the final two games of the regular season.
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The Vikings lost to Detroit Mercy and Oakland on the road, falling to 15-6 in conference play. At one point, Cleveland State looked unstoppable, winning 10 of its first 11 conference games.
Wright State has already lost twice to Cleveland State this season. One of those games was in early December and another was in late January. We're in March now and things have changed since then. Wright State went 15-7 in conference play and was just as good down the stretch as Cleveland State.
The Wright State Raiders are shooting an effective field goal percentage of 51.9 percent while turning the ball over just 17.6 percent of the time. On the glass, the Raiders have earned nearly 31 percent of offensive rebounds and should absolutely get to the line more often than not going up against Cleveland State.
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The Raiders don't shoot the three-ball at a high rate, hitting just 32.3 percent from deep, however, Wright State would rather bang around inside and get easy buckets. Inside, Wright State is shooting 53.6 percent from the field while also nailing 76 percent of foul shots this season.
We know that foul shots are a big thing in March. Wright State shoots 76 percent from the line in comparison to Cleveland State shooting 67.7 percent from the charity stripe.
On the defensive end, Cleveland State is allowing 31.7 percent offensive rebounds and fouling at an above-average rate. The Vikings have defended the three very well this season, holding opponents to 32.1 percent and are earning 21.9 percent turnovers this season.
However, this season, Wright State has been limiting turnovers well and ultimately doesn't take the three-point shot at a ridiculous pace to where Cleveland State's defense could really benefit from its perimeter defense.
On the other hand, Cleveland State is a terrific offense, shooting a 53.9 percent effective field goal percentage while earning 33.7 percent offensive rebounds. The Vikings are getting to the foul line at a high rate, but against Wright State, that number is likely going to drop. From deep, the Vikings shot 33.8 percent and from inside the arc, Cleveland State is shooting 55.6 percent from the field.
Prediction
Cleveland State is a major threat inside but should end up turning the ball over more and should see fewer opportunities at the foul line. The Vikings will also struggle to earn defensive rebounds at times and that should also allow Wright State to get more second-chance buckets. Take this into consideration for your NCAAB picks.
NCAAB Pick: Wright State (+100) with BetOnline (visit our BetOnline Review)
*The line and/or odds on picks in this article might have moved since the content was commissioned. For updated line movements, visit BMR’s free betting odds product.