Northern Kentucky vs Cleveland State Prediction, Odds & Best Bet for Horizon League Championship (No Upsets Here)

Northern Kentucky vs Cleveland State Game Info

2022-23 NCAA Basketball Horizon League Tournament Championship

• Northern Kentucky (21-12, 14-6 Horizon) vs. Cleveland State (21-12, 14-6 Horizon)
• Date: Tuesday, March 7, 2023
• Time: 7:00 PM ET
• Venue: Indiana Farmers Coliseum -- Indianapolis, Indiana
• Coverage: ESPN Networks

A spot in the NCAA Tournament is up for grabs when Northern Kentucky and Cleveland State meet in the Horizon League Championship. The Norse defeated Oakland (81-74 score) and beat Youngstown State (75-63 score) to reach this point. Marques Warrick scored a total of 44 points in those contests.

Meanwhile, the Vikings snuck past Robert Morris in overtime by a score of 75-70 before defeating Milwaukee by a score of 93-80 to get here. Tristan Enaruna has been the star, tallying a total of 47 points and 15 rebounds across the two victories. Which Horizon League squad will punch its ticket?

Northern Kentucky vs Cleveland State Odds & Spread

• All college basketball betting lines, odds and prop bets are from FanDuel Sportsbook.
• Moneyline: N KY: (-142) | CLE ST: (+118)
• Spread: N KY: -2.5 (-110) | CLE ST: +2.5 (-110)
• Total: 126.5 -- Over: (-115) | Under: (-105)

Northern Kentucky enters this contest as a slight favorite on the moneyline and spread per FanDuel Sportsbook's odds. This 7 p.m. ET clash also features an over/under of 126.5 points, which is below average compared to Tuesday's projected totals.

Northern Kentucky vs Cleveland State Betting Trends

• Northern Kentucky has beaten the spread 14 times in 31 games.
• The Norse are 10-10 as 1.5-point favorites or more.
• Northern Kentucky has played 31 games this season, and 12 of them have gone over the total.
• Against the spread, Cleveland State is 15-16-0 this year.
• The Vikings are 8-5 as 1.5-point underdogs or greater.
• This season, 18 of Cleveland State's 31 games have hit the over.

Northern Kentucky Rank	Northern Kentucky AVG		Cleveland State AVG	Cleveland State Rank
268th	68.4	Points Scored	72.0	177th
29th	63.6	Points Allowed	68.2	123rd
259th	30.5	Rebounds	32.8	113th
62nd	9.9	Off. Rebounds	11.0	19th
76th	8.3	3pt Made	5.0	350th
128th	13.8	Assists	13.3	161st
62nd	10.7	Turnovers	10.7	62nd

Northern Kentucky vs Cleveland State Prediction & Pick

This is a matchup that could truly go either way. That is evident after each team grabbed a one-point home win over the other during the regular season. With this game being played at a neutral site, it's worth diving into the statistics. Northern Kentucky enters with an obvious edge in that department.

The Norse rank tied for 34th in the nation when it comes to points allowed per game (64.8) and 36th in opponent turnovers per game (14.9). They play with aggressive defense, which is going to be hard for Cleveland State to overcome considering it averages just 71.9 points per game (No. 148 in NCAA).

Northern Kentucky has won each of its last six games as a favorite, so back the Norse on Tuesday.

Final Score Prediction: Northern Kentucky: 66 | Cleveland State: 61

Northern Kentucky vs Cleveland State Best Bet

Momentum is crucial when it comes to conference tournaments and Northern Kentucky has more than enough momentum to win this game. The Norse are a perfect 7-0 against the spread (ATS) in their last seven games overall and 4-1 ATS in their last five games in March. They get the job done.

Cleveland State enters Tuesday only 1-4 ATS in its last five games overall and 4-12 straight up in its last 16 games on a Tuesday. Both of these squads have reached the NCAA Tournament within the last five years, so expect a hard-fought game that ends with Warrick taking over in the final few minutes.

Bet: Northern Kentucky Norse -2.5 (-11)

Larry Rupp is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Larry Rupp also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username phillyfan424. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in their articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel. 

Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.