The South Dakota State Jackrabbits will look to boost their win total and cover the spread when they tip off against the Western Illinois Leathernecks at Frost Arena on Thursday in NCAAB play.

Supporters of the Leathernecks have watched them go 14-12 and 10-9 ATS on the year, while the Jackrabbits are at 22-7 and 15-5-1 ATS. In totals betting, the Jackrabbits are 8-12, while the Leathernecks have a 5-13 mark.



View Western Illinois vs South Dakota State Odds and Stats.

Betting Line:
If you're backing the visitors in this one, you'll find the Leathernecks listed as 14-point underdogs

Power Rankings / Prediction:
This game matches up the No. 83 (Jackrabbits) and the No. 228 (Leathernecks) teams in the league, according to our current NCAAB power rank. A 78-69 result in favor of the Jackrabbits has been projected by the scores prediction engine.



How They Match Up:
The game also pits South Dakota State's No. 13-ranked offense, averaging 78.9 PPG, against a Leathernecks defense that ranks No. 26 at 59.9 PPG. The Jackrabbits field goal percentage has averaged 46.6% so far, more than the Leathernecks marksmen have achieved on the year, 45.4% per game.

Defensively, Western Illinois features the nation's No. 62-rated defense on the road, allowing 64.8 points per game. South Dakota State, meanwhile, comes in at No. 11 nationally in scoring at home.

Last time out for Western Illinois, they were a 68-45 loser as they battled Evansville on the road. They failed to cover in the match as an 8-point underdog. Western Illinois was crushed on Saturday, getting blown out by Evansville and falling by a 68-45 score at Ford Center.

South Dakota State won its last outing, an 86-65 result against Buffalo on February 18. They covered in that game as a 7-point favorite. The Jackrabbits blew out Buffalo on Saturday, running up a 20+ point victory in an 86-65 win at Frost Arena.

Next up:
Western Illinois at North Dakota State, Saturday, February 25
South Dakota State home to IUPUI, Saturday, February 25