Columbia Lions vs Bucknell Bison Prediction, Odds, Best Bets - Week 2

Columbia visits Bucknell at Sojka Pavilion, and the winless Bison have allowed 91.0 points per game through three games.

The Matchup

Bucknell is still looking for its first win, and the problem is not hard to find. The Bison are 0-3, scoring 63.3 points per game and allowing 91.0, after a 10-23 season in which they scored 67.4 and allowed 76.3. Columbia arrives 2-1 from the Ivy League in far better shape: 88.7 points scored per game and 65.7 allowed this season, on top of a 16-12 season last year.

These rates blend three games from this season with last season, and even after last season pulls Columbia's hot start back toward earth, the Lions rate well ahead of a Bucknell team that has defended nobody. Gerard O'Keefe leads Columbia at 16.0 points per game, Hampton Sanders adds 5.3 assists per game, and Connor Igoe leads them at 9.0 rebounds per game.

Bucknell leans on Aleksander Pachucki at 15.3 points per game, Luca Soroa Schaller at 3.3 assists per game, and Kyle Marshall at just 4.0 rebounds per game. O'Keefe, Sanders, Igoe, Pachucki, Soroa Schaller, and Marshall all carry no injury designations into this game.

The counterpoint is the room. Sojka Pavilion gets loud, Columbia's numbers come from three games, and a desperate home team playing its fourth game often defends with an urgency its early results do not show. The Lions have to match that first punch.

Key Factors

The first factor is Bucknell's defense, which has allowed 91.0 points per game and has no rim protection story to tell. Columbia scores from several spots, and Sanders at 5.3 assists per game keeps the ball moving toward whichever matchup Bucknell cannot guard.

The second factor is the glass. Igoe at 9.0 rebounds per game against a home team whose leader pulls 4.0 is a mismatch that shows up in second chances and in fouls. Road favorites cover small numbers by winning the possession battle, and Columbia should win it clearly.

The third factor is Bucknell's offense. At 63.3 points per game, the Bison cannot trade baskets, so every Columbia run forces them to chase a game their scoring cannot support.

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.