The Denver Pioneers will travel to LeRoy A. Ufkes Court at Western Hall to take on the Western Illinois Leathernecks this Saturday afternoon in College Basketball action.
The Denver Pioneers snapped their 4-game losing streak and improved to 10-20 on the season after defeating the St. Thomas (MN) Tommies, 91-80, this past Thursday. Denver was outstanding on the offensive end against St. Thomas (MN) and was able to hold off the Tommies for the victory after taking an 82-68 lead with 3:59 left in regulation. Denver shot 66.7% from the field & 61.1% from beyond the arc while allowing St. Thomas (MN) to shoot 47.5% from the field & 39.3% from beyond the arc. Leading the way for the Pioneers was Jordan Johnson who ha 18 points, 4 rebounds, & 7 assists.
On the season, Denver is averaging 70.4 ppg on 45.8% shooting from the field. The Pioneers are averaging 7.3 three-pointers per game on 37.0% shooting from beyond the arc. Offensively, Denver has been led by KJ Hunt (15.2 ppg, 4.5 rpg, 3.4 apg, 1.1 spg), Jordan Johnson (11.3 ppg, 2.5 rpg, 2.6 apg), Tevin Smith (10.3 ppg, 3.4 rpg, 1.3 apg, 1.2 bpg).
Defensively, Denver is allowing their opponents to average 74.0 ppg on 44.7% shooting from the field. The Pioneers have a rebound margin of -1.8 and a turnover margin of -1.4.
The Western Illinois Leathernecks snapped their 2-game losing streak and improved to 16-13 on the season after defeating the Ohama Mavericks, 88-76, this past Thursday. Western Illinois was outstanding on the offensive end in the 2nd half against Omaha and was able to hold off the Mavericks for the victory after taking a 68-55 lead with 8:00 minutes left in regulation. Western Illinois shot 45.9% from the field & 31.6% from beyond the arc while allowing Omaha to shoot 47.5% from the field & 50.0% from beyond the arc. Leading the way for the Leathernecks was Trenton Massner who had 20 points, 8 rebounds, 5 assists, 1 block, & 3 steals.
On the season, Western Illinois is averaging 79.1 ppg on 43.9% shooting from the field. The Leathernecks are averaging 8.8 three-pointers per game on 33.7% shooting from beyond the arc. Offensively, Western Illinois has been led by Trenton Massner (16.5 ppg, 6.2 rpg, 4.0 apg, 1.9 spg), Luka Barisic (14.6 ppg, 5.9 rpg, 1.3 apg), Will Carius (14.5 ppg, 3.0 rpg, 1.0 apg), & Colton Sandage (13.5 ppg, 3.9 rpg, 2.6 apg, 1.2 spg).
Defensively, Western Illinois is allowing their opponents to average 76.8 ppg on 46.0% shooting from the field. The Leathernecks have a rebound margin of 3.6 and a turnover margin of 1.1.
The Pioneers are 10-5 ATS in their last 15 games vs. Western Illinois, however, are just 3-9 ATS in their last 12 February games. The Leathernecks are 0-6 ATS in their last 6 games, however, are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 home games.
Denver was able to pick up a much-needed win against St. Thomas (MN), however, the Pioneers have struggled overall on the season, largely due to a defense that ranks just 293rd in scoring defense & 255th in defensive FG%. Western Illinois is not a good defensive team, however, the Leathernecks have a high-scoring offense that ranks 25th in scoring offense & t-55th in three-pointers made per game. Western Illinois was able to defeat Denver by a 84-80 margin in OT on the road earlier this season and as I expect Denver to struggle on the road as they come into this game with just a 3-12 road record, I think the play here is to take Western Illinois to cover this mid-range home spread. Good Luck!