Bettors will hope to hit paydirt on Thursday when the North Dakota State Bison try to run the Western Illinois Leathernecks off the court at Bison Sports Arena in college hoops action.

The Bison currently sports a 19-6 record overall in NCAAB action, and have posted a corresponding betting slate of 14-9 ATS. The Leathernecks are 18-5 and 13-5-1 ATS. Betting totals have seen the Bison produce a 4-15 OVER/UNDER record on the season, while the Leathernecks have gone 8-8 against the number.



View Western Illinois vs North Dakota State Odds and Stats.

Betting Line:
Sportsbooks (including Sportsbook) had the Bison installed as 10-point favorites in this particular matchup earlier in the day. Also, watch for the Sportsbook over-under value at Sportsbook.

Power Rankings / Prediction:
The Odds Shark Power Rankings have the Bison at No. 57 and the Leathernecks at No. 191 heading into this contest. Handicapping models at Odds Shark project a 72-68 result in favor of the Bison.



How They Match Up:
Rating these schools in several key categories is important for handicappers and North Dakota State has the nation's No. 147-rated offensive output, at 68.4 PPG. The visiting Leathernecks defense ranks No. 3 allowing on average 52.4 PPG. The Bison FG% has averaged 48.1% so far, more than the Leathernecks marksmen have achieved on the year, 46.9% per game.

Defensively, Western Illinois features the nation's No. 3-rated defense on the road, allowing 56 points per game. North Dakota State, meanwhile, comes in at No. 82 nationally in scoring at home.

Last time out for Western Illinois, they were a 68-50 Sportsbook as they battled Nebraska Omaha at home. They covered in the match as a 16.5-point favorite. The Leathernecks grabbed a 68-50 win over the Mavericks on Thursday, behind a 12-point effort from Terell Parks at Western Hall.

In their last action, North Dakota State was a 58-54 Sportsbook on the road against IUPU Fort Wayne. They failed to cover the 9-point spread as favorites. The Bison grabbed a 58-54 win over the Mastodons on Saturday, behind a 20-point effort from Lawrence Alexander at Memorial Coliseum.

Next up:
Western Illinois at South Dakota State, Saturday, February 16
North Dakota State home to IUPUI, Saturday, February 16