The South Dakota State Jackrabbits (19-6, 7-1 Summit) welcome the North Dakota State Bison (12-10, 4-3 Summit) to Frost Arena as they look to continue their eight-game home winning streak. The game starts at 8 p.m. ET on Thursday, February 1, 2018, and will air on ESPN Full Court.
The Over/Under (O/U) for the game opened at 151.5 points with South Dakota State set as an 8.5-point favorite.
North Dakota State Bison at South Dakota State Jackrabbits Free Prediction
In the Bison’s last outing, they defeated the Western Illinois Leathernecks, 80-69. North Dakota State’s free throw rate was their biggest advantage over Western Illinois. The Bison had a rate of 0.179 (matching their season average), while the Leathernecks posted a mark of 0.133 (below their season average of 0.187). North Dakota State received a boost from Paul Miller, who was the game’s high scorer with 26 points on 11-for-18 shooting.
The Jackrabbits won big over the Omaha Mavericks in their last game, 80-60. The Jackrabbits had a phenomenally low turnover percentage of 6.5 (better than their season average of 13.7) and held the Mavericks to an effective field goal percentage of 0.410 (below their season average of 0.534). Mike Daum was the game’s high scorer with 35 points on 15-for-28 shooting.
South Dakota State could put on a ball-control clinic in this matchup. South Dakota State ranks ninth in the NCAA at avoiding errors (turnover percentage of 15.0 percent), while North Dakota State forces the second-fewest turnovers (14.5 percent). Additionally, the Bison, who rank 313th in offensive rebounding percentage (24.1 percent), might struggle to get put-back points against the Jackrabbits, who rank eighth in defensive rebounding percentage (77.7 percent).
North Dakota State holds records of 12-10 straight up (SU) and 8-9 against the spread (ATS). Games featuring the Bison have a tendency to finish over the projected point total (58.8 percent).
Meanwhile, South Dakota State owns records of 19-6 SU and 12-7 ATS. Similarly to North Dakota State, Jackrabbits games also have a tendency to go over the total (57.9 percent).
Daum has averaged 22.6 points and 12.0 rebounds over the last five games for South Dakota State.
This will be the second game of the season between these two teams. Daum scored a game-high 37 points in the first matchup, in which the Jackrabbits defeated the Bison 87-80, covering as 1-point underdogs. He also put up 15 rebounds. The game finished with a total of 167 points, which was 19.5 points above the projected point total of 147.5 points. The Jackrabbits knocked down 22 of their 25 free throws (88.0 percent) and had a better turnover percentage (6.8 vs. 8.6).
North Dakota State Bison at South Dakota State Jackrabbits Free Pick
College Basketball Prediction: SU Winner – South Dakota State, ATS Winner – North Dakota State, O/U – Over
Notes
Betting Notes:
North Dakota State is 6-4 ATS on the road with 6 overs and 4 unders.
At home, South Dakota State is 5-3 ATS with 6 unders and 2 overs.
North Dakota State ranks 55th in three pointers allowed per game (19.8) while South Dakota State ranks 239th (24.8).
The Jackrabbits rank 48th in rebounds per game (38.6) while the Bison rank 192nd (34.5).
North Dakota State ranks 16th in assists allowed per game (10.2) while South Dakota State ranks 75th (12.3).
The Jackrabbits are 11th in the NCAA with 2.2 blocks allowed per game while the Bison are 29th with 2.5 blocks allowed per game.
South Dakota State ranks 43rd in steals allowed per game (5.3) while North Dakota State ranks 56th (5.5).
Bettings Trends:
In their last five games, North Dakota State is 2-3 ATS with 4 overs and 1 under.
South Dakota State is 3-2 ATS with 3 unders and 2 overs over their last five games.
The Bison’s average margin of victory in their last five games has been 6.2, up from 5.7 for the season.
During their last five games, the Jackrabbits have scored an average of 83.6 points per game (2.0 below their season average) and allowed an average of 73.0 points per game (2.0 below their season average).
