Nebraska-Omaha vs North Dakota State 1/8/22 College Basketball Picks, Predictions, Odds

The North Dakota State Bison will travel to Baxter Arena to take on the Omaha Mavericks this Saturday afternoon in College Basketball action.

The North Dakota State Bison had their 4-game winning streak snapped and dropped to 9-5 on the season after being defeated by the South Dakota State Jackrabbits, 90-86, on December 30^th. North Dakota State had no answers defensively against South Dakota State and could not fight back after the Jackrabbits took a 72-54 lead with 12:31 left in regulation. North Dakota State shot 56.1% from the field & 44.8% from beyond the arc while allowing South Dakota State to 60.3% from the field & 43.8% from beyond the arc. Leading the way for the Bison was Sam Griesel who had 25 points, 2 rebounds, 4 assists, & 1 steal.

On the season, North Dakota State is averaging 71.9 ppg on 44.8% shooting from the field. The Bison are averaging 8.4 three-pointers per game on 34.9% shooting from beyond the arc. Offensively, North Dakota State has been led by Rocky Kreuser (14.0 ppg, 7.9 rpg, 1.4 apg), Grant Nelson (13.1 ppg, 4.9 rpg, 1.0 apg, 1.0 bpg), Sam Griesel (10.9 ppg, 4.4 rpg, 3.1 apg), & Tyree Eady (8.2 ppg, 5.7 rpg, 3.1 apg).

Defensively, North Dakota State is allowing their opponents to an average of 67.0 ppg on 42.4% shooting from the field. The Bison have a rebound margin of 5.1 and a turnover margin of -2.6.

The Omaha Mavericks improved to 3-12 on the season after defeating the North Dakota Fighting Hawks, 98-82, this past Thursday. Omaha had no trouble generating offense against North Dakota and pulled away in the 2^nd half after going into halftime with a 52-40 lead. Omaha shot 55.1% from the field & 47.6% from beyond the arc while allowing North Dakota to shoot 44.1% from the field & 30.4% from beyond the arc. Leading the way for the Mavericks was Frankie Fidler who had 16 points, 2 rebounds, 3 assists, & 1 steal.

On the season, Omaha is averaging 66.9 ppg on 40.9% shooting from the field. The Mavericks are averaging 7.8 three-pointers per game on 34.6% shooting from beyond the arc. Offensively, Omaha has been led by Felix Lemetti (10.6 ppg, 3.7 rpg, 2.5 apg), Nick Ferrarini (9.7 ppg, 1.5 rpg, 1.4 apg), Frankie Fidler (9.6 ppg, 2.9 rpg, 1.9 apg), & Kyle Luedtke (8.1 ppg, 4.8 rpg, 1.8 apg).

Defensively, Omaha is allowing their opponents to an average of 82.2 ppg on 46.7% shooting from the field. The Mavericks have a rebound margin of -5.6 and a turnover margin of -3.1.

The Bison are 0-4-1 ATS in their last 5 Saturday games & 0-4-1 ATS in their last 5 games following a ATS loss. The Mavericks are 0-4 ATS in their last 4 games following a ATS win & 2-8 ATS in their last 10 home games vs. a team with a losing road record.

North Dakota State has been average on both sides of the court this season as the Bison come into this game ranked 189^th in scoring offense, 152^nd in FG%, & t-137^th in scoring defense. Omaha has struggled on all aspects of the game this season and come into this matchup ranked 282^nd in scoring offense, 347^th in scoring defense, & 328^th in defensive FG%.

Omaha played better against North Dakota than I expected, however, this just not a very good basketball team on either end of the court. North Dakota State is a solid offensive team that should be able to score at will against the Mavericks and as I think they pull away in the 2^nd half in this one, I’m taking North Dakota State to cover this large road spread. Good luck!