The Robert Morris Colonials play their first season in the Horizon League, and Friday night brings their first-ever clash against the Wright State Raiders. According to BetMGM Sportsbook, the Colonials are massive double-digit underdogs for their first visit to Nutter Center in Dayton, Ohio, so let’s see what the best betting pick here.
The Raiders are currently sitting at the second spot of the Horizon League standings, one game behind Cleveland State and a couple of games ahead of UIC. The Colonials are way behind at the 11th spot and only ahead of IUPUI.
Robert Morris dropped four straight games while failing to cover
The Robert Morris Colonials (3-7; 2-5 Conf.) are on a four-game losing streak following a couple of home losses to Northern Kentucky, 79-74 in overtime and 81-76. They were listed as slight favorites on both occasions, extending their ATS skid to four games as well.
The Colonials are No. 284 in the latest NCAA NET Rankings and No. 257 in the KenPom rankings. They score 99.1 points per 100 possessions (220th in the country) on 43.8% shooting from the field (203rd) while surrendering 107.5 points in a return (290th) on 46.6% shooting (296th).
Robert Morris leans heavily on sophomore guard A.J. Bramah who’s averaging 21.5 points and 9.7 rebounds per game. Senior guard Jon Williams is posting 9.3 points and 4.8 assists per contest, while junior guard Dante Treacy is adding 7.0 points and 5.0 dimes a night.
Wright State continues to chase the top spot in the Horizon League
The Wright State Raiders (11-4; 9-3 Conf.) are rolling on a three-game winning streak following a two-game home set against IUPUI last weekend. They had no problems thrashing off the hapless Jaguars, 100-72 and 95-65, covering a double-digit spread to improve to 4-1 ATS in their last five outings.
Wright State is No. 63 in the latest NCAA NET Rankings and No. 71 in the KenPom rankings. The Raiders score 106.5 points per 100 possessions (89th) while making 49.0% of their field goals (27th). They surrender 94.5 points in a return (51st) on 38.1% shooting from the field (9th) and 28.15 from beyond the arc (15th).
Robert Morris:
- 1-5 ATS in the last six games overall
- 1-4 ATS in the last five games against Horizon League
Wright State:
- 4-1 ATS in the last five games overall
- 4-1 ATS in the last five games against Horizon League
The Horizon League is far away from an elite level, but the Raiders are not accidentally putting up those crazy numbers. They are a much better team than Robert Morris, and I expect them to prove it on the court Friday night.
The Raiders work hard on the defensive end and will be all over A.J. Bramah. Also, their offense should torture the Colonials’ lousy D, so I’m backing the hosts to cover a huge spread once more.
Pick: Take Wright State -16.5 at -110
The Total:
The over is 13-4 in Robert Morris’ last 17 games overall, and it is 7-6 in Wright State’s last 13 outings. The Colonials average 67.9 possessions per 40 minutes (224th in the nation), while the Raiders love to push the ball in transition, recording 71.7 possessions per 40 minutes (50th).
The hosts will speed up things, and I expect them to score a lot of easy points. Wright State surpassed an 84-point mark in four of its last five showings, so give me the over on the totals.
Pick: Go over 144.5 points at -110
