Milwaukee vs. Cleveland State odds, spread: 2024 college basketball picks, Jan. 12 best bets from proven model
The Milwaukee Panthers (8-8) will play their first home game of 2024 when they host the Cleveland State Vikings (11-6) in a Horizon League battle on Friday afternoon. Milwaukee has won four of its last five games, including an 84-61 win at Detroit last Saturday. Cleveland State has won five of its last six games, sneaking past Northern Kentucky in overtime last Sunday. The Panthers and Vikings are among seven teams with two losses atop the league standings.
Tipoff is set for 3 p.m. ET on Friday at UW-Milwaukee Panther Arena. Milwaukee is favored by 3 points in the latest Milwaukee vs. Cleveland State odds, while the over/under is 158 points, per SportsLine consensus. Before entering any Cleveland State vs. Milwaukee picks, you'll want to see the NCAA Basketball predictions from the model at SportsLine.
The model simulates every Division I college basketball game 10,000 times. It enters Week 10 of the 2023-24 season on a 105-69 roll on all top-rated college basketball picks dating back to last season, returning more than $2,000 for $100 players. It is also off to a fast 12-5 start on top-rated spread picks this season. Anyone following has seen huge returns.
The model has set its sights on Clev. State-Milwaukee. You can head to SportsLine to see its picks. Here are several college basketball betting lines for the game:
- Milwaukee vs. Cleveland State spread: Milwaukee -3
- Milwaukee vs. Cleveland State over/under: 158 points
- Milwaukee vs. Cleveland State money line: Milwaukee -155, Cleveland State +130
- Milwaukee vs. Cleveland State picks: See picks here
Why Milwaukee can cover
Cleveland State has struggled to pick up wins at Milwaukee in recent decades, losing 16 of its last 20 games at UW-Milwaukee Panther Arena. It is not going to be any easier this year, as the Panthers have won 10 of their last 12 home games. They won three straight home games against Chattanooga, Robert Morris and Wright State to close the 2023 portion of their schedule, even though they were underdogs in two of those games.
Milwaukee lost a high-scoring thriller at Oakland last Thursday, but it responded with an 84-61 win at Detroit on Saturday, easily covering the 7.5-point spread. Junior guard Erik Pratt scored 20 points, shooting 7 of 11 from the floor and 6 of 10 from 3-point range. Junior guard BJ Freeman leads Milwaukee with 18.9 points, 5.9 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game, finishing with at least 14 points in all but one appearance this season.
Why Cleveland State can cover
The Vikings have momentum entering this game as well, having won five of their last six games following a two-game losing streak in early December. They have scored at least 75 points in all five of those victories, including an 88-85 win over Northern Kentucky in overtime on Sunday. Senior forward Tristan Enaruna posted a double-double, finishing with 24 points, 12 rebounds and five assists.
Junior forward Jayson Woodrich shot 4 of 11 from 3-point range and scored 18 points, while senior guard Drew Lowder added 12 points. While Cleveland State has not had much success at Milwaukee in recent years, it has still covered the spread in eight of the last 11 meetings between these teams. Meanwhile, the Panthers have only covered the spread in four of their last 14 Friday games. See which team to pick here.
How to make Milwaukee vs. Cleveland State picks
The model has simulated Cleveland State vs. Milwaukee 10,000 times and the results are in. The model is leaning Under, and it's also generated a point-spread pick that is hitting in well over 50% of simulations. You can only see the pick at SportsLine.
