Check out our free Vermont vs Maine pick and preview for this NCAA Basketball game in Bangor. See who we like to win and cover the spread in this College Basketball matchup.
Vermont vs Maine Pick & Preview: Wednesday, February 8th Betting Odds
Catamounts vs Black Bears Matchup at a Glance
- Sport: NCAAB
- Teams: Vermont Catamounts at Maine Black Bears
- Where: Bangor at Cross Insurance Center
- Date: Wednesday, February 8th
- Betting Odds: Vermont -7.5, VERM -345 | MAINE +270 O/U 135.0
Catamounts Preview:
Vermont will take their 5 game win streak into today’s game. So far, the team has an overall record of 13-10. On the road, the Catamounts will be playing their 15th game of the season, having gone 7-8. So far, the Catamounts have been favored 14 times, going 11-3 straight up. In today’s matchup, the oddsmakers have Vermont as -7.5 point favorites.
Vermont’s leading scorer this season is Dylan Penn, who is averaging 11.65 points per contest. So far, Penn has accounted for 16.58% of the team’s scoring. In addition, he is contributing 3.0 rebounds per game and 2.0 assists. Aaron Deloney is the second leading scorer for the Catamounts, averaging 11.61 points per game. Between him and Deloney, they are accounting for 33.1% of the team’s scoring.
On offense, Vermont comes into the game looking to control the pace of play, as they are just 626th in possessions per game. Even with their preference to slow the game down, the Catamounts’ are scoring at a rate similar to the NCAA average at 74.9 points per game. So far, 42.98% of their shots have come from beyond the arc, where they have connected at a rate of 36.4%.
Black Bears Preview:
Maine will take the floor against the Catamounts with an overall record of 10-13. So far this season, Maine has played 10 games at home, sitting with a record of 6-4. For the season, Maine has been the underdog in 15 games, sitting with a mark of 4-11. Currently, the oddsmakers have the lines set with the Black Bears being +7.5 point underdogs.
Maine will be counting on another strong performance from the team’s leading scorer Gedi Juozapaitis who is averaging 15.43 points per game for the Black Bears. Juozapaitis 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 Black Bears’ offensive game plan is the play of Kellen Tynes who has hit 49.2% of his field goal attempts on his way to averaging 13.96 points per game.
Offensive production has been hard to come by for Maine this season, as they are currently ranked 433rd in college basketball at 62.4 points per game. A major reason for low scoring totals is the fact that they have played at a below average pace, and have struggled to knock down outside shots. As a team, the Black Bears’ 3-point shooting percentage sits at just 31.1%, placing them 412th in the NCAA.
Free Spread Prediction: Maine Black Bears +7.5
After boiling down all the statistics and trends, it is clear why the oddsmakers have placed the Vermont Catamounts as the favorites to win. Not only do the Maine Black Bears have a mediocre record vs the spread at home of late 5-5, but Vermont also has the statistical edge in 3-pointers made per game and overall field goal percentage. Yet, our model shows that the current odds of -7.5 in favor of the Catamounts is too high and there is good value on grabbing Maine vs the spread. While most bettors will likely be piling on the Vermont Catamounts as the favorite, we full good about taking the oppsite side and grabbing Maine taking the points.
