Check out our free Kennesaw State vs Jacksonville State pick and preview for this NCAA Basketball game in Jacksonville. See who we like to win and cover the spread in this College Basketball matchup.
Kennesaw State vs Jacksonville State Pick & Preview: Thursday, February 9th Betting Odds
Owls vs Gamecocks Matchup at a Glance
- Sport: NCAAB
- Teams: Kennesaw State Owls at Jacksonville State Gamecocks
- Where: Jacksonville at Pete Mathews Coliseum
- Date: Thursday, February 9th
- Betting Odds: Kennesaw State -3.5, KENEST -176 | JAXST +140 O/U 140.5
Owls Preview:
The Kennesaw State Owls head into today’s game in what will be their 26th game of the season, posting a record of 18-7. So far, the Owls have played 14 games on the road, with a record of 8-6. This season, Kennesaw State has been favored to win in 12 games, sitting with a mark of 11-1. For today’s contest, Kennesaw State has a betting line set -3.5 points in their favor.
Kennesaw State will be counting on another strong performance from the team’s leading scorer Chris Youngblood who is averaging 14.52 points per game for the Owls. Youngblood is also important to the team’s ability to score on the perimeter. So far, he leads the team in 3-point shots made. Also key to the Owls’ offensive game plan is the play of Terrell Burden who has hit 49.8% of his field goal attempts on his way to averaging 12.96 points per game.
On offense, Kennesaw State comes into the game looking to control the pace of play, as they are just 444th in possessions per game. Even with their preference to slow the game down, the Owls’ are scoring at a rate similar to the NCAA average at 74.8 points per game. So far, 38.45% of their shots have come from beyond the arc, where they have connected at a rate of 36.5%.
Gamecocks Preview:
Through 25 games, the Jacksonville State Gamecocks have an overall record of 10-15. So far this season, Jacksonville State has played 11 games at home, sitting with a record of 8-3. For the season, Jacksonville State has been the underdog in 14 games, sitting with a mark of 2-12. Currently, the oddsmakers have the lines set with the Gamecocks being +3.5 point underdogs.
Jacksonville State will be counting on another strong performance from the team’s leading scorer Demaree King who is averaging 14.12 points per game for the Gamecocks. King is also important to the team’s ability to score on the perimeter. So far, he leads the team in 3-point shots made. Also key to the Gamecocks’ offensive game plan is the play of Skyelar Potter who has hit 41.7% of his field goal attempts on his way to averaging 13.68 points per game.
Coming into the game, Jacksonville State is averaging 73.9, which is 117th in the college basketball. A strength of the team’s offensive attack is their ability to knock down shots from deep. So far, the Gamecocks are 51st in 3-point shooting percentage (38.8%). In terms of pace, Jacksonville State perfers to slow the game down, averaging just 66.1 possessions per game.
Free Spread Prediction: Kennesaw State Owls -3.5
Heading into this matchup, with the Kennesaw State Owls sitting as -3.5 point favorites, we like them to pick up the win and cover the spread. Both team’s will be coming into the game looking to get up shots from outside, as Kennesaw State and Jacksonville State are averaging 8.32 and 9.32 made 3’s per game, respectively. One trend that we feel strongly about is the fact that Kennesaw State has historically performed well against the spread on the road, going 6-3-1 ATS (last 10). Before tonight’s matchup, we recommend getting a wager down on the Owls to cover at -3.5.
