Betsided

Milwaukee vs. Oakland Prediction, Odds and Key Players for Horizon League Championship Final

By Reed Wallach

Mar 27, 2023; Seattle, WA, USA; A general overall view of a Wilson official basketball with Elite 8
Mar 27, 2023; Seattle, WA, USA; A general overall view of a Wilson official basketball with Elite 8 / Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
facebooktwitterreddit

The Horizon League Tournament comes to an end on Tuesday night, with the No. 1 seed taking on a surprising entrant to the final. 

Oakland has taken care of business thus far in the Horizon League Tournament as the No. 1 seed but now must get passed Milwaukee, who is coming from the first round as the No. 6 seed in hopes of avenging a double overtime loss to the Grizzlies earlier this season. 

Here’s our full betting preview for the Horizon League title game!

New FanDuel users, get ready for March Madness by signing up below and getting $150 in bonus bets when you win your first bet of just $5! Get started now. 

Milwaukee vs. Oakland Odds, Spread and Total

Oakland vs. Milwaukee Betting Trends

  • Oakland is 19-12-1 against the spread (ATS) this season against Division 1 opponents
  • Oakland is 7-3 ATS over the last 10 games
  • Milwaukee has gone OVER in 20 of 31 games against Division 1 opponents (1 push)

Milwaukee vs. Oakland How to Watch

  • Date: Tuesday, March 12th
  • Game Time: 7:00 PM EST
  • Venue: Indiana Farmers Coliseum
  • How to Watch (TV): ESPN
  • Milwaukee: 20-14
  • Oakland: 22-11

Milwaukee vs. Oakland Key Players to Watch

Milwaukee

BJ Freeman: The 6’6” big man has been a matchup nightmare through the Horizon League Tournament, scoring 27 or more points in all three games. He has been getting to the free-throw line at an astonishing rate and is a monster on the glass. However, he faces an Oakland defense that has been fantastic in tournament play. 

Oakland

Trey Townsend: Townsend will have the duty of slowing down Freeman, and boy would Tuesday be a good time for him to turn a good outing after struggling through the tournament thus far. While he hasn’t been all that effective thus far, he did score a combined 52 points against Milwaukee while getting to the free-throw line 14 times in each game. 

Milwaukee vs. Oakland Prediction and Pick

These two played two wild games in the regular season, each won by Oakland by a combined nine points with one going to double overtime. On a neutral floor, I’m going to side with the Grizzlies to win and cover the modest point spread. 

Oakland’s defense has been up to the task thus far in the tournament and the team’s ability to clean the glass against a Panthers team that is tops in Horizon League offensive rebounding rate is going to play a big role. The team’s morphing zone defense has been stellar thus far and has offset teams that can shoot the three well like Purdue Fort Wayne and an interior-centric offense like Cleveland State. 

Meanwhile, Milwaukee hasn’t had an answer for Townsend through the two meetings, and the team’s terrible defense around the rim is going to get the Grizzlies offense going in this one. Oakland’s ability to get inside and draw free throws while opening up its perimeter offense is going to be the difference in this one. 

Look for Townsend to have his best outing of the Horizon Tournament and play a key role in sending the Grizzlies to the ‘Big Dance.’

Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

Track Reed's bets here!

Home/College Basketball Predictions and Picks