Stetson Hatters vs Howard Bison Prediction, Odds, Best Bets - Week 2

Howard returns to Burr Gymnasium after opening the season with three straight road games. Stetson is still winless, and the Hatters have yet to score more than 72 points while giving up at least 81 in every game.

The Matchup

Stetson visits Howard on Thursday evening at Burr Gymnasium in Washington, with Howard a 10.5-point favorite, a total of 152.5, on MEAC Network. Howard finally gets a home game after starting the season with three straight on the road, and Burr Gymnasium is a small, loud building that has treated the Bison well for years.

Howard is 1-2 this season, scoring 73.7 points a game and allowing 77.7, with every game played away from home. The Bison lost at Yale, won 94-83 at Alcorn State, and lost 78-65 at Pennsylvania on Monday.

Last season is a big part of who this team is, because Howard went 24-11, scored 77.8 points a game and allowed just 69.1 on its way to the top of the MEAC. That championship core set the program standard, and the early road swing, three games in three different time contexts in one week, is a poor way to judge whether this group still defends at that level.

Stetson is 0-3, scoring 60.0 points a game and allowing 85.7, and all three losses came on the road by double digits. The Hatters lost at Clemson, at South Carolina and at West Virginia, a brutal opening itinerary for anyone.

Last season Stetson went 12-21 and allowed 79.7 points a game, so the defensive trouble is not just a schedule artifact. This roster is still searching for a reliable second scorer, and a fourth straight road game, this time in one of the MEAC's toughest small gyms, is an unforgiving place to search.

Cam Gillus, Drew Harris and Cedric Taylor III carry no injury designations for Howard, and Collin Kuhl and Sean Morgan carry no injury designations for Stetson.

Key Factors

Howard's backcourt is producing at both ends. Gillus scored 17 points with 6 rebounds and 6 assists at Pennsylvania, running the offense for 35 minutes against a disciplined Ivy League defense.

Off the bench, Harris scored 15 points on 6-of-7 shooting, hit all 3 of his three-pointers and collected 5 steals, the kind of two-way spark that turns a close home game into a run. Stetson simply does not have that depth of guard play right now, and Howard's pressure should wear the Hatters down over 40 minutes in a building where the crowd sits right on top of the floor.

Stetson's weakness is plain in its own results. The Hatters scored 53 points at West Virginia in their last game, with Morgan's 15 points off the bench as the only real bright spot and the starters combining for very little. A team averaging 60.0 points a game, facing a Howard defense that allowed 69.1 points a game across a full championship season last year, has to shoot well above its level just to stay within single digits late.

The counterpoint is the schedule excuse, and Stetson deserves some of it. Clemson, South Carolina and West Virginia would humble most mid major offenses, and Kuhl gave the Hatters 12 points and 9 rebounds at West Virginia, a sign the frontcourt can compete physically.

If Howard, playing its first home game after a long road start, comes out flat and lets Stetson settle in, a double digit spread gets uncomfortable fast. The bet is that Burr Gymnasium and Howard's guard depth take over by the second half, the way they did throughout last season's MEAC run.

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.