The Summit League championship is a battle of the Dakotas as top seeds North Dakota State and South Dakota State meet at 9:00 p.m. ET Tuesday at the PREMIER Center in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Most eyes will be on the Gonzaga-St. Mary’s rematch in the West Coast Conference in the same time slot, but this is an equally enjoyable game.
While it would be hard to leave a team with 29 wins out, should South Dakota State lose, it likely would be out of the NCAA Tournament due to no marquee nonconference wins. But with a win over their rivals, the Jackrabbits would not only be in but have an opportunity to go on a nice run.
In the two regular-season meetings, South Dakota State won by four points to sweep the series. The line opened at SDSU -5 with an over/under of 152, but it has since moved to SDSU -6 with an over/under of 150.5 as of this writing.
SDSU should lean on efficiency
The Jackrabbits are exciting to watch. They run up and down the court all game and are second in the country offensively, scoring 87.2 points per game.
They do it with incredible efficiency, too, tops in the country in field goal percentage (52.7%) and 3-point percentage (45.1%). Conversely, due to their pace, South Dakota State is one of the worst defensive teams, allowing 73.8 points per contest (297th nationally).
A trio of players carry the bulk of the scoring and account for a little more than half the team’s points. Baylor Scheierman, a 6-foot-6 guard, averages team-bests of 18.2 points, 8.2 rebounds, and 4.6 assists per game.
Scheierman was Summit League Player of the Year. He shot 46.8% on 3-pointers alone.
Behind him is 6-7 forward Doug Wilson at 16.0 points per game. Noah Freidel at 15.0 points per game.
NDSU should slow the pace
Also efficient offensively, the Bison should use their above-average unit in the halfcourt. They are 101st in scoring at 74.2 points per game and rank 96th in field goal percentage (45.5%) and 77th in 3-point percentage (35.7%). Even better if they can get to the free-throw line, where they are 27th nationally, converting 76.5% of tries.
North Dakota State is also strong rebounding, ranking 39th nationally while grabbing 35.3 rebounds per game. Defensively they are better than SDSU, ranking 167th in opponents’ scoring and 75th in 3-point defense (31.6%).
The Bison have four players scoring in double figures this season, led by 6-10 forward Rocky Kreuser. He averages team-bests of 15.8 points and 8.0 rebounds per game and also converted 40% of 3-point attempts.
Behind him is 6-6 Sam Griesel, 13.5 points, 6.4 rebounds, and a team-best 2.9 assists per game. Others are Grant Nelson (11.2 ppg) and Tyree Eady (10.3 ppg).
Betting Prediction
The Bison are 14-15-1 against the spread and 15-15 on over/unders this season. The Jackrabbits are 17-14 both against the spread and over/unders.
There are points to be had, and in the first meeting, South Dakota State covered a three-point spread, but North Dakota State covered the seven-point spread on the road. Both overs of 153.5 hit, too.
Given both previous results were by four, it’s a wonder if North Dakota State can do enough to keep this close. History says yes, so North Dakota State +6 and over 150.5 are the picks.
100% up to $3,000 Bonus
Bovada is our most recommended ONLINE CASINO and POKER ROOM for US players with excellent deposit options. Get your 100% signup bonus today.
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.