Cal Poly Mustangs vs Idaho Vandals Prediction, Odds, Best Bets - Week 2

Idaho is scoring 90.7 points per game at home, while Cal Poly arrives in Moscow allowing 88.3 per game through a 1-2 start.

The Matchup

Idaho is 2-1 and has looked like a different class of team at the ICCU Arena in Moscow, scoring 90.7 points per game and allowing only 67.7. Kase Wynott leads the Vandals at 18.3 points per game, Miles Klapper runs the offense at 5.3 assists per game, and Hudson Ward cleans the glass at 8.0 rebounds per game. That is a complete profile for a Big Sky team in November.

Cal Poly is 1-2 out of the Big West, scoring 77.7 and allowing a troubling 88.3 per game. Hamad Mousa is a real scorer at 21.3 points per game, the best individual average in this game, but the Mustangs have not defended anyone. With three games played on each side, the ratings blend this season with last season, when Idaho went 21-15 and Cal Poly finished 14-19; the blend widens the gap rather than narrowing it, with Idaho far ahead. Wynott and Mousa both carry no injury designations.

Key Factors

The defensive gap decides this game. Cal Poly is allowing 88.3 points per game, and Idaho's offense, balanced across Wynott, Klapper and Ward, attacks from several spots at once. A defense that leaky cannot key on one player, and the Vandals should generate clean looks all night.

The counterpoint is Mousa. A scorer at 21.3 points per game can keep an underdog attached almost by himself, and if he gets hot early, Idaho's margin for error shrinks. But Cal Poly also has to get stops at the other end to cash in on his scoring, and nothing in three games, or in last season's 14-19 finish, says those stops are coming. Idaho's two-way edge is the widest in this matchup by a considerable distance.

Every pick is published with its line before the game. Odds via consensus sportsbooks at time of writing and move constantly. Must be 21+. If gambling is a problem, call or text 1-800-GAMBLER.