Western Illinois Leathernecks vs South Dakota State Jackrabbits Prediction, 1/8/2021 College Basketball Pick, Tips and Odds

Game: Western Illinois Leathernecks vs South Dakota State Jackrabbits

Date: Friday, January 8, 2021

Location: Frost Arena in Brookings, SD

TV: ESPN+

Odds/Point Spread: Western Illinois (+18)

The South Dakota State Jackrabbits (6-3) play the Western Illinois Leathernecks (2-7) at Frost Arena on Friday. Western Illinois opens this contest as 18-point dogs. The O/U is set at 156.

Western Illinois heads into this game with a mark of 2-7 this year. They are turning it over 12.8 times per contest and as a team are committing 18.8 personal fouls every game. As a unit, Western Illinois is grabbing 37.9 boards per contest and has accumulated 111 assists on the year, which has them ranked 196th in the nation in terms of passing. The Leathernecks are shooting 29.8% on shots from downtown (65 of 218) and 62.2% from the charity stripe. They average 69.6 points per game (238th in Division 1) while shooting 39.7% from the field. Defensively, the Leathernecks are forcing 13.1 turnovers every game while drawing 18.1 fouls. They are ranked 280th in Division 1 in allowing assists with 140 surrendered for the year. The Leathernecks defense is allowing a FG percentage of 46.6% (247 of 530) and they surrender 39.7 rebounds per game as a group. They surrender 37.5% on 3-point attempts while they are 291st in the country in PPG allowed (76.9).

The Western Illinois Leathernecks took the court against the North Dakota State Bison and took a loss by a score of 78-67 in their last game. Western Illinois finished with a 42.4% field goal percentage (25 out of 59) and made 6 of 23 three-point attempts. At the free throw line, the Leathernecks buried 11 of 14 tries for a percentage of 78.6%. In terms of rebounding, they earned 25 with 5 of them being on the offensive end. They also recorded 9 dimes in the matchup as well as earning 2 steals and 2 blocked shots. Concerning the defense, Western Illinois allowed the other team to go 42.4% from the field on 25 of 59 shooting. North Dakota State distributed 16 dimes and had 2 steals for this contest. In addition, the Bison collected 34 rebounds (7 offensive, 27 defensive) and added 2 blocks. North Dakota State ended up shooting 71.4% from the free throw line by converting 15 of their 21 tries. They converted 7 out of their 21 tries from downtown.

Tamell Pearson is someone who had an impact in the matchup. He had 17 points on 7 of 13 shooting. He was on the hardwood for 30 minutes and also collected 5 boards. Pearson finished the game shooting 53.8% from the field and totaled 2 assists. Another guy that was a determining factor in the matchup for the Leathernecks was Will Carius. He collected 5 boards and had 2 assists. He finished the contest at 46.2% from the field for the game by connecting on 6-of-13 (14 points). Overall, Carius was on the hardwood for 40 min.

South Dakota State has a mark of 6-3 so far this year. As an offense, the Jackrabbits are connecting on 47.4% from the field, which has them ranked 82nd in the nation. South Dakota State has totaled 694 pts so far this season (77.1 per contest) and they average 35.4 boards per game. They are earning an assist 12.7 times per contest (224th in D-1) and they lose possession by turning the ball over 12.1 times per contest. The Jackrabbits are committing 15.0 fouls per game and they connect on 74.2% from the free throw line. The Jackrabbits defensively are ranked 195th in college basketball in points allowed per game with 71.1. The South Dakota State defense gives up 31.7% on shots from distance (73 of 230) and their opponents are making 81.1% of their shots from the charity stripe. They have relinquished 13.6 dimes and 33.0 boards per game, which has them ranked 223rd and 83rd in those defensive categories. They have forced 10.1 turnovers per game and allow teams to shoot 41.5% from the field (125th in D-1).

When they last played, the South Dakota State Jackrabbits walked away with a victory by a final of 93-50 when they played the Mount Marty Lancers. The Jackrabbits were able to pull down 35 defensive boards and 11 offensive rebounds for a total of 46 for the game. They also blocked 2 attempts while recording 6 steals for the contest. The Lancers committed 14 fouls for this game which got the Jackrabbits to the charity stripe for a total of 20 attempts. They were able to knock down 14 of the free throw tries for a rate of 70.0%. Regarding shots from 3-point land, South Dakota State converted 5 of 18 attempts (27.8%). Overall, the Jackrabbits finished shooting 37 for 63 from the field which gave them a rate of 58.7%. The Jackrabbits allowed the Lancers to make 19 of their 61 tries from the field which left them shooting 31.1% in the game. They finished 25.0% from beyond the perimeter by going 7 out of 28 and ended up shooting 5 of 7 at the free throw line (71.4%). In the matter of rebounding, South Dakota State allowed Mount Marty to grab 17 in total (2 on the offensive side).

Matt Dentlinger was important for the Jackrabbits in this contest. He converted 7 of 8 for the matchup for a field goal rate of 87.5%, which gave him 21 points. Dentlinger collected 8 rebounds in his 19 mins and had 2 assists for this contest. An additional guy that ended being a contributor for South Dakota State was David Wingett. He totaled 16 points in 20 minutes on the court via 7 out of 12 shooting in the matchup. Wingett finished going 58.3% from the field as well as collecting 2 assists and 3 rebounds.

Who will win tonight's college basketball game against the spread?

Josh Schonwald's Pick: Take Western Illinois (+18)

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