The North Dakota State Bison (11-4) will try to slow down the Summit League’s top scoring team when they take on the Omaha Mavericks (10-6) at Scheels Arena. Action starts at 8:00 pm ET on Thursday, Jan. 7.
The Bison come into this game hoping to repeat their last performance, dismantling Denver 75-49 on Sunday. Carlin Dupree played well, contributing 16 points, three assists, and two steals for the Bison. The Mavericks, meanwhile, are coming off a 76-71 win over IUPUI on Sunday. Devin Patterson led the game in scoring with 24 points on 9-for-14 shooting.
It’s a matchup of two different tempos, as the fast-breaking Mavericks (ranked fourth in the nation in possessions per game) square off against the methodical Bison (291st).
North Dakota State is a four-point favorite against Omaha and the Over/Under (O/U) for this game is 149 points. Even with a positive Straight Up (SU) record of 11-4, the Bison are 4-8 Against The Spread (ATS) in those games. They have been worse ATS (2-7) than their SU record (7-3) over their last 10 games would indicate. The Bison have limited opponents’ efforts from beyond the arc, allowing 5.0 three-pointers made per game.
Over on the other bench, Omaha has a SU record of 10-6 and an ATS record of 7-5.
North Dakota State and Omaha will be squaring off for the first time this season. In their most recent meeting a season ago, North Dakota State came out on top, bringing its SU record to 7-0 over Omaha in their most recent games. Additionally, North Dakota State holds the advantage ATS with a record of 5-1. North Dakota State held the edge in field goals, rebounds, and three-pointers once, while Omaha was never able to do so in their most recent five games.
Predictions: SU Winner – NDakSt, ATS Winner – NEOma, O/U – Over
Notes
Omaha is one of the highest-scoring teams in the nation, averaging 85.1 points per game (ranked 15th). North Dakota State allows 63.7 points per game (ranked 31st).
North Dakota State won its last game by a 26-point margin. In games decided by a margin of 18 points or more, Omaha is 3-0. North Dakota State is 6-1 in blowouts this season.
With 67.2 possessions and 1.083 points per possession, the North Dakota State Bison perform worse on both metrics than the Omaha Mavericks. Omaha averages 78.4 possessions and 1.085 points per possession.
North Dakota State has an average effective field goal percentage of 50.7%. Omaha is a solid 5-3 when opponents have a similar or higher effective field goal percentage.
On average, North Dakota State attempts 21.0 three pointers and Omaha attempts 19.0. In games where they have 20 or more three point attempts, the North Dakota State Bison have a 6-4 record while the Omaha Mavericks are even at 4-4.
Omaha, the 70th-ranked team in rebounding, registers an average of 39.4 rebounds per game. North Dakota State does worse, ranked 242nd with 35.6.
Ranked seventh in the country, Omaha makes 9.9 steals per game. In games where it allows 9 or more steals, North Dakota State is undefeated at 1-0.
