Evansville Aces vs Missouri State Bears Matchup

Read on to get betting odds and analysis in our Missouri State vs Evansville NCAA Basketball prediction and preview and see who we think will win and cover the spread in Evansville.

Missouri State vs Evansville Prediction

Don't miss out on the NCAA showdown between the Bears and Aces. The game is starting at 4:00 ET on ESPN+, and it's hosted by the Aces at Ford Center in Evansville, IN. Get ready to place your bets! Missouri State is favored by -4.5 in this Missouri Valley conference showdown. The game's over/under is currently at 135.5 points.

Missouri State vs. Evansville Matchup At A Glance

Sport: NCAAB
Teams: Missouri State Bears at Evansville Aces
Where: Evansville at Ford Center
Date: Sunday, December 29th
Betting Odds MSRST -4.5, MSRST -210 | EVANS +170 O/U 135.5

Bears Preview: Can the Bears Deliver Being Favored on the Road?

Missouri State evened their record at 5-5 with a 68-56 win over UC Santa Barbara on Sunday. The Bears, slight favorites at -1, covered the spread in the victory.

Leading 31-25 at halftime, Missouri State added 37 points in the 2nd half while holding the Gauchos to 31. The game’s total points of 124 fell short of the 137.5 O/U line.

Bears Offense Breakdown

Missouri State's offense put up 68 points in their last game, shooting 48.9% from the field. They connected on 46.2% of their threes, going 6-for-13, and hit 75% of their free throws, making 18 of 24 attempts.

Dez White led the way with 26 points, hitting 3 of 5 from deep, while Kenny Pohto added 20 points and 10 rebounds. The Bears finished with 10 offensive boards and 8 assists as a team.

Bears Team Defense

Even with Missouri State allowing 56 points, their defense couldn't capitalize on holding the opponent to 48% shooting. The Bears gave up 50% shooting from two-point range, with the other team hitting 16 of 32 attempts.

From beyond the arc, Missouri State's defense allowed 6 three-pointers on 13 attempts, a 46% success rate. They also sent the opponent to the free-throw line 24 times, where they converted 18 shots for 75%. The Bears gave up 10 offensive rebounds in the game.

Aces Preview: Are the Aces Ready for a Home Win?

Evansville Aces Recent Game/Games

The Aces fell to 2-9 on the season after a tough 80-43 road loss to Ball State on Saturday. Entering the game as +4.5 point underdogs, Evansville not only lost but failed to cover the spread.

Evansville trailed 37-17 at halftime and allowed 43 points in the 2nd half while scoring 26. The game’s total points of 123 fell short of the 139.5 O/U line.

Aces Offense Breakdown

Evansville's offense struggled in their last game, scoring just 43 points with a field goal percentage of 29.1%. Their effective field goal percentage was 32.7%, and they hit only 11.5% of their three-point attempts, going 3-for-26 from beyond the arc.

At the free-throw line, the Aces shot 53.3%, and they managed just 5 assists as a team. Payton Sparks led the way with 20 points in 17 minutes, hitting all 5 of his shots from the field.

Aces Team Defense

Evansville's defense struggled, giving up 80 points on 50% shooting from the field. They allowed 54% shooting on two-point attempts, with the opposing team hitting 20 of 37 shots.

From beyond the arc, Evansville's opponents shot 41%, making 7 of 17 threes. They also sent the other team to the free-throw line 28 times, where they converted 19 attempts for 67%. Evansville gave up 10 offensive rebounds.

Bears vs Aces Betting Odds, Trends & Analysis

When looking at their past three road matchups, Missouri State has an ATS record of 2-1 while averaging 74 per game. The team went 1-2 overall in these games.
In their last three games at home, the Aces have a straight up record of 0-3 while going 1-2 vs. the spread. The team averaged 52 points per game in this stretch.
In their last five games as the betting underdog, the Aces have a straight up record of 0-5 and an ATS mark of 1-4.
Through their last three games as the favorite, the Bears have an ATS record of 2-1 and a straight up mark of 2-1.