Eastern Kentucky Colonels vs North Florida Ospreys Matchup

Read on to get betting odds and analysis in our North Florida vs Eastern Kentucky NCAA Basketball prediction and preview and see who we think will win and cover the spread in Richmond.

North Florida vs Eastern Kentucky Prediction

Betting on today's Ospreys and Colonels game? Catch the action at Baptist Health Arena in Richmond, KY, as the Colonels hosts this showdown at 7:00 ET on ESPN+. The over/under line for this matchup is currently at 170.5 points, and Eastern Kentucky is favored by -2.5 to win at home against North Florida.

North Florida vs. Eastern Kentucky Matchup At A Glance

Sport: NCAAB
Teams: North Florida Ospreys at Eastern Kentucky Colonels
Where: Richmond at Baptist Health Arena
Date: Thursday, January 9th
Betting Odds EKENT -2.5, NFL +120 | EKENT -148 O/U 170.5

Ospreys Preview: Can North Florida Pull Out the Win as Road Underdogs?

North Florida's season record dropped to 5-8 after a 96-64 home loss to Lipscomb on Saturday. The Ospreys entered the game as +5.5 point underdogs and failed to cover the spread.

North Florida trailed 51-33 at halftime and were outscored 45-31 in the second half. The total points for the game was 160, just under the O/U line of 161.5.

Ospreys Offense Breakdown

North Florida struggled offensively in their last game, shooting just 35.9% from the field and 22.6% from beyond the arc, finishing with 64 points. Their effective field goal percentage was 40.6%, and they hit 61.1% of their free throws.

Jacob Ognacevic led the way with 21 points on 7-of-10 shooting, while Dylan Faulkner added 19 points, hitting 7-of-11 shots. Will Pruitt contributed 11 points, 13 rebounds, and 10 assists, despite shooting just 1-of-5 from three-point range.

Ospreys Team Defense

Despite North Florida giving up 96 points, they held their opponent to just 35% shooting from the field. The Ospreys allowed 16 two-point baskets on 33 attempts, a 48% shooting rate.

From beyond the arc, North Florida's defense limited their opponent to 7 threes on 31 attempts, just 22% shooting. They also sent their opponent to the free-throw line 18 times, where they hit 11, a 61% success rate. North Florida gave up 11 offensive rebounds in the game.

Colonels Preview: Can the Colonels Secure a Win at Home?

Eastern Kentucky Colonels Recent Game/Games

The Colonels fell to 5-8 on the season after a 88-67 road loss to North Alabama on Saturday. Entering the game as +6 underdogs, Eastern Kentucky not only lost but failed to cover the spread. The total points for the game hit 155, just over the pre-game O/U line of 153.5.

Eastern Kentucky found themselves in a deep hole early, trailing 50-29 at halftime. Despite matching North Alabama with 38 points in the second half, the Colonels couldn’t make up any ground.

Colonels Offense Breakdown

Eastern Kentucky struggled offensively in their last game, shooting just 34.8% from the field and 18.5% from three-point range, hitting only 5 of 27 attempts. Their effective field goal percentage was 39.4%, but they did manage to connect on 84.2% of their free throws, going 16 for 19 from the line.

Will Soucie and Canin Jefferson each scored 18 points, with Soucie hitting 4 threes on 11 attempts. Corneilous Williams and Devontae Blanton added 15 points each, with Williams shooting 71.4% from the field and grabbing 11 rebounds. Taye Fields also shot 71.4%, pulling down 14 rebounds and dishing out 7 assists.

Colonels Team Defense

Eastern Kentucky's defense struggled, giving up 88 points while allowing the opposing team to shoot 47% from the field. The Colonels couldn't contain the two-point shooting, as they allowed 25 of 44 attempts to fall, a 56% success rate.

From beyond the arc, Eastern Kentucky held the other team to 7 made threes on 23 attempts, a 30% shooting performance. However, they sent the opposition to the free-throw line 24 times, where they converted 17 shots, hitting 70%. The Colonels also gave up 19 offensive rebounds.

Ospreys vs Colonels Betting Odds, Trends & Analysis

Although North Florida has a straight up record of 0-3 in their last three road games, they have not held up as well vs the spread going 0-2-1. The team averaged 72 points per game in these games.
In their last ten games at home, the Colonels have a straight up record of 4-6 while going 5-5 vs the spread. The team's offense averaged 73 points per game in these contests.
The last ten games that North Florida was the underdog, they have an ATS mark of 5-4-1 while going 3-7 straight up.
Over the team's last five games as the favorite, the Colonels struggled vs the spread going just 2-3. However, they still had a straight up mark of 3-2.