It will be a battle between Summit opponents when the North Dakota State Bison (7-10, 1-2 Summit) welcome the Western Illinois Leathernecks (6-10, 1-2 Summit) to the Scheels Center. The game starts at 8 p.m. ET on Thursday, January 10, 2019, and will air on ESPN 3.
Western Illinois Leathernecks at North Dakota State Bison Free Prediction
In the Leathernecks’ last outing, they were beaten by the Creighton Bluejays, 78-67. Creighton’s 0.548 effective field goal percentage was their biggest advantage over Western Illinois, who had a rate of 0.428. Kobe Webster was the top scorer from either team with 24 points on 10-for-22 shooting.
The Bison were beaten by the New Mexico State Aggies in their last matchup, 73-56. New Mexico State out-rebounded North Dakota State. The Aggies had 15 offensive rebounds and 47 total rebounds, while the Bison had five and 31, respectively. With 23 points on 9-for-11 shooting, Rocky Kreuser was the top scorer from either team.
After splitting two games last season, this will be the first matchup of the year between these two teams. The Leathernecks won the last contest 82-74. Western Illinois had a much better turnover percentage (6.7 vs. 16.9). North Dakota State, meanwhile, had a better offensive rebounding percentage (15.2 vs. 12.9).
Webster has averaged 0 points over the last five games for Western Illinois.
Western Illinois could have a tough time creating turnovers. North Dakota State ranks 100th in the country at avoiding errors (turnover percentage of 16.7 percent), while Western Illinois forces the 42nd-fewest turnovers (16.8 percent). Also, second chance points could be rare for the Leathernecks. They rank 308th in the country in offensive rebounding percentage at 24.6 percent, while the Bison are 40th-best on the defensive glass (defensive rebounding percentage of 76.2 percent).
Western Illinois vs. North Dakota State Odds Pick
Pick: SU Winner – North Dakota State, ATS Winner – North Dakota State, O/U – Over
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Notes
Betting Notes:
Western Illinois ranks 31st in blocks per game (4.8) while North Dakota State ranks 149th (2.4).
The Leathernecks rank 119th in rebounds per game (36.8) while the Bison rank 233rd (31.4).
North Dakota State ranks 74th in three pointers attempted per game (26.3) while Western Illinois ranks 154th in three pointers allowed per game (23.1).
Bettings Trends:
The Leathernecks’ average margin of victory in their last five games has been 10.4, up from 0.4 for the season.
During their last five games, the Bison have scored an average of 74.0 points per game (0.5 above their season average) and allowed an average of 71.2 points per game (2.2 below their season average).
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