The North Dakota Fighting Hawks and the South Dakota State Jackrabbits meet Thursday in college basketball action from Frost Arena. North Dakota is 7-16 on the year so far. The Hawks lost to North Dakota State in their last game. As for South Dakota State, they’re 12-11 on the season after a win over UMKC on Monday. Check back all season long for free college basketball picks at Sports Chat Place.
North Dakota Fighting Hawks
North Dakota started out at 6-9 with wins over Incarnate Word, Elon, Wisconsin-Stout, Utah Tech, CSUF and North Central MN. The Hawks are just 1-7 over their last eight games with a lone win over UMKC.
In last Friday’s matchup versus North Dakota State, the Hawks held a 53-46 deficit in the locker room. North Dakota didn’t get any closer, lagging behind 38-29 in an eventual 91-75 loss. Matt Norman led the team on 25 points.
South Dakota State Jackrabbits
Over on the South Dakota State side, they beat Boise State, St. Bonaventure, Valparaiso, Eastern WA, Mount Marty, Western Illinois and St. Thomas MN in their first 16 games. The Jackrabbits are 5-2 since then with losses to St. Thomas MN and Western Illinois.
In the UMKC matchup on Monday, the Jackrabbits were up 39-32 going into the second half. South Dakota State had to scramble in the second half but eventually took the win 67-66. Zeke Mayo led the way on 24 points and five rebounds.
ANDREW’S FREE PICK
I’m going to stick with South Dakota State. The Jackrabbits have looked pretty good lately (despite a couple of tough losses), and they’ve hit 67 or more points in five of their last six outings. As for North Dakota, they’re scoring great lately (71 or more points in five straight) but also giving up a ton of points on the other side. South Dakota State won 60-59 the last time these teams met up back on January 7, and I think the Jackrabbits are in line for the cover/win here as well.