North Dakota vs Western Illinois Pick – Basketball Predictions & Odds 2/23/23
Western Illinois Leathernecks (15-12) vs. North Dakota Fighting Hawks (11-17)
February 23, 2023 12:00 pm EDT
The Line: North Dakota Fighting Hawks -3 / Western Illinois Leathernecks +3 ; Over/Under: 146
(Get latest betting odds)
The Western Illinois Leathernecks and the North Dakota Fighting Hawks meet Thursday in college basketball action from the Betty. Western Illinois enters this one at 15-12 overall. The Leathernecks lost to St. Thomas MN in their last game. As for North Dakota, they’re currently 11-18 after a win over UMKC on Saturday. Check back all season long for free college basketball picks at Sports Chat Place.
Western Illinois Leathernecks
Western Illinois managed an 11-8 record over their first 19 games this year. The Leathernecks are 4-4 since then with wins over North Dakota, South Dakota, South Dakota State and Omaha alongside losses to Denver, UMKC, Oral Roberts and St. Thomas MN.
In the St. Thomas MN game on Saturday, the Leathernecks were down 36-29 by halftime. Western Illinois fell further behind on a 46-40 second-half run and fell 82-69. Quinlan Bennett was the top scorer on 20 points and 12 rebounds.
North Dakota Fighting Hawks
Over on the North Dakota side, they stood at a rough 7-14 after 21 games. The Hawks have since posted a 4-4 run with wins over South Dakota, Denver, Omaha and UMKC. The losses came to Western Illinois, North Dakota State, South Dakota State and Oral Roberts.
Matched up against UMKC on Saturday, the Hawks jumped out to a 35-27 halftime edge. North Dakota kept the pace with 46 more points from there and won it 81-73. Brady Danielson posted 20 points with five rebounds in the victory.
ANDREW’S FREE PICK
I’ll probably lean toward North Dakota in this one. Probably also staying away, though. There’s not a ton of intrigue here but it should still be a good game. In any case, the Leathernecks are riding a three-game skid right now but they’d previously been playing pretty well. Western Illinois managed a victory the last time these teams met up, taking it 92-80 on January 23 at Western Hall. North Dakota has hit a 4-1 stretch over their last five however, and I like them to get some revenge in the rematch at the Betty.
