NCAA Basketball: UNC vs NC State among top local/in-state matchups
By Ryan Kay
These two in-state matchups come from the states of Ohio and Montana as these mid-major teams look to win their conferences.
Game Match Up
Teams and Records: Cleveland State (11-8) and Wright State (11-8)
Date: January 21st
Time: 7 PM EST
Channel/Streaming: ESPN+
Team Profiles heading into this game
Wright State
Best Wins: At Louisville (73-72), Bowling Green (80-71), Weber State (87-65), Detroit Mercy (90-85), and at Milwaukee (78-74)
Notable Defeats: Davidson (102-97 2OT), UC Riverside (65-70), Youngstown State (77-88), at Western Kentucky (60-64), and at Akron (54-66), and at Northern Kentucky (64-78)
KenPom Ranking: 213
College Basketball Power Index Ranking: 174
Sagarin Ranking: 185
Net Ranking: 213
Quadrant 1 Wins: Zero
Quadrant 2 Victories: Zero
Quadrant 3 Wins: One
Cleveland State
Best Wins: At Canisius (58-57), Oakland (80-64), Detroit Mercy (92-77), at Purdue Fort Wayne (72-60), and at Robert Morris 63-54)
Notable Defeats: At Cincinnati (58-69), at Ohio (70-81), at St. Bonaventure (42-61), Kent State (58-67), at LMU (59-70), at Youngstown State (71-85), and Milwaukee (64-68)
KenPom Ranking: 180
College Basketball Power Index Ranking: 187
Sagarin Ranking: 186
Net Ranking: 152
Quadrant 1 Wins: Zero
Quadrant 2 Victories: Zero
Quadrant 3 Wins: One
Rivalry History and Game Prediction
Last 10 games of this rivalry: The Raiders have won seven out of the previous ten games against the Vikings.
Current Win Streak: Wright State has won the last game between these two schools, having a one-game winning streak in this rivalry.
The last meeting between both schools: The Raiders defeated the Vikings at a neutral site by a final score of 82-67.
Prediction: Wright State 83 Cleveland State 71
Game Match Up
Teams and Records: Montana State (12-8) and Montana (9-10)
Date: January 21st
Time: 9 PM EST
Channel/Streaming: ESPN+
Team Profiles heading into this game
Montana State
Best Wins: At Long Beach State (70-57), at North Dakota (81-71), Idaho (72-58), at Northern Colorado (77-56), and Weber State (67-52)
Notable Defeats: At Grand Canyon (54-60), at Oregon (51-81), Quinnipiac (53-70), Middle Tennessee State (71-72), at Arizona (64-85), and Eastern Washington (67-70)
KenPom Ranking: 125
College Basketball Power Index Ranking: 104
Sagarin Ranking: 130
Net Ranking: 112
Quadrant 1 Wins: Zero
Quadrant 2 Victories: One
Quadrant 3 Wins: One
Montana
Best Wins: South Dakota State (81-56), at North Dakota State (82-75), Idaho (67-56), and at Northern Colorado
Notable Defeats: At Duquesne (63-91), at Xavier (64-86), Troy (62-73), at Air Force (56-59), at Southern Miss (54-64), at Gonzaga (75-85), Eastern Washington (80-87), and at Northern Arizona 74-75)
KenPom Ranking: 169
College Basketball Power Index Ranking: 193
Sagarin Ranking: 183
Net Ranking: 176
Quadrant 1 Wins: Zero
Quadrant 2 Victories: Zero
Quadrant 3 Wins: One
Rivalry History and Game Prediction
Last 10 games of this rivalry: The Grizzlies have won eight out of the previous ten games against the Bobcats.
Current Win Streak: Montana has won the last game between these two schools, having a one-game winning streak in this rivalry.
The last meeting between both schools: The Grizzlies defeated the Bobcats at home by a final score of 80-74.
Prediction: Montana State 75, Montana 72