The North Dakota State Bison (17-10) look to extend their five-game home winning streak in a matchup against the IUPUI Jaguars (12-16). The game gets underway at 5:00 pm ET on Saturday, Feb. 20 and will air on EFC and ES3.
The Bison come into this game hoping to repeat their last performance, beating Western Illinois 63-54 on Wednesday. Kory Brown was the team’s high scorer with 15 points on 5-for-11 shooting. The Jaguars are coming off an 88-76 win against Omaha on Wednesday. Mason Archie II played well for IUPUI, accounting for 15 points, four rebounds, and one steal.
This is the second game of the season between these two teams, with the Jaguars winning the first matchup 73-72. Jordan Pickett had a standout performance in the victory, putting up 20 points, one assist, one steal, and one three-pointer.
While the Bison have a good Straight Up (SU) record (17-10), they’ve been poor Against The Spread (ATS) with a 9-15 record. Opposing teams know they’re in for a battle when they play North Dakota State’s stingy defense. The Bison are one of the top teams when it comes to defense, allowing just 64.8 points per game. The Bison have limited opponents’ efforts from beyond the arc, allowing 5.0 three-pointers made per game. Not making mistakes with the ball is a staple of the North Dakota State offense, which averages just 10.6 turnovers per game.
Over on the other bench, the Jaguars head into the game with records of 15-12 ATS and 12-16 SU. The Jaguars average 74.2 points allowed per game, but have improved upon those numbers in the past 10 games, allowing 63.7 points per game during that span.
With the Jaguars’ last win against North Dakota State, IUPUI is still behind in the head-to-head record over their most recent meetings, 3-7 SU. The teams are even ATS, with a 5-5 record. When it comes to field goals, rebounds, and three-pointers, North Dakota State held the edge in all three of these categories two times in the last five meetings. IUPUI never did so in those games.
Predictions: SU Winner – NDakSt, ATS Winner – NDakSt
Notes
“North Dakota State is 2-4 ATS in its last 6 games “.
“The total has gone UNDER in 5 of North Dakota State’s last 5 games “.
“North Dakota State is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games at home”.
“The total has gone UNDER in 5 of North Dakota State’s last 5 games at home”.
“North Dakota State is 6-1 SU in its last 7 games when playing IUPUI”.
“North Dakota State is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games when playing at home against IUPUI”.
“The total has gone UNDER in 4 of North Dakota State’s last 5 games when playing at home against IUPUI”.
The IUPUI Jaguars hold a solid 8-5 SU record in matchups against Summit League Conference rivals, while the North Dakota State Bison currently sit at 7-6 in these games.
IUPUI scores just 63.9 points per away game (ranked 226th). North Dakota State ranks fifth in points allowed at home, giving up 57.2 points.
The IUPUI Jaguars average 70.0 possessions per game and .978 points per possession. The North Dakota State Bison earn fewer possessions with 66.0, but they score more points with 1.067.
North Dakota State has an average effective field goal percentage of 51.0%. IUPUI is a poor 5-9 when opponents have a similar or higher effective field goal percentage.
North Dakota State attempts an average of 19.0 three pointers per game and IUPUI attempts 17.0. In games where they have 20 or more three point attempts, the North Dakota State Bison have an 8-6 record while the IUPUI Jaguars are winless at 0-10.
North Dakota State has forced an average turnover percentage of 18.0% this season. IUPUI has a losing 7-12 record when its TO% is 18.0% or higher.
