Pepperdine at Oregon State

The Oregon St. Beavers are playing in the West Coast Conference for the first time. The Beavers are 14-6 overall and 4-3 in conference play. They have shot the ball and defended well. It has been somewhat of a rollercoaster ride for the Beavers. They own a huge win over Gonzaga by eight points at home, but followed that with an 11-point loss to San Francisco, and were blown out by 21 points to Loyola Marymount. Pepperdine is just 1-5 in conference play, but have been more competitive than their record. The Waves are 7-12 on the season, but own a scoring margin of just -1, which is more like a .500 team. The Waves are allowing just 43% shooting, and 31% from 3. These teams have combined for 113 total shots a game which is considerably below average, and taking down a big spread is tough vs. a team that defends well in a low volume shooting game. Make the play on Pepperdine.