Who's Playing

Western Illinois @ North Dakota

Current Records: Western Illinois 10-6; North Dakota 4-12

What to Know

The North Dakota Fighting Hawks and the Western Illinois Leathernecks are set to square off in a Summit matchup at 8 p.m. ET Jan. 13 at Betty Engelstad Sioux Center. The teams split their matchups last year, with the Fighting Hawks winning the first 83-81 at home on the road and WIU taking the second 99-87.

North Dakota came up short against the South Dakota Coyotes on Monday, falling 75-68.

Meanwhile, WIU entered their game against the Oral Roberts Golden Eagles on Saturday without any home losses -- but there's a first time for everything. WIU was just a bucket shy of a victory and fell 87-86 to Oral Roberts.

North Dakota is expected to lose this next one by 9. Those sticking with them against the spread have guts, to put it politely, as the team has let down bettors in their past five games.

The Fighting Hawks are now 4-12 while the Leathernecks sit at 10-6. A couple defensive numbers to keep in mind before tip-off: North Dakota has allowed their opponents to shoot 49.40% from the floor on average, which is the 356th highest shooting percentage allowed in college basketball. WIU has experienced some struggles of their own as they are 36th worst in college basketball in points allowed per game, with 75.3 on average. It's possible one of these Achilles' heels will wind up tripping the losing team up.

How To Watch

  • When: Thursday at 8 p.m. ET
  • Where: Betty Engelstad Sioux Center -- Grand Forks, North Dakota
  • Follow: CBS Sports App
  • Ticket Cost: $49.00

Odds

The Leathernecks are a big 9-point favorite against the Fighting Hawks, according to the latest college basketball odds.

The oddsmakers were right in line with the betting community on this one, as the game opened as a 9-point spread, and stayed right there.

Over/Under: -108

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Series History

North Dakota have won five out of their last six games against Western Illinois.

  • Jan 30, 2021 - Western Illinois 99 vs. North Dakota 87
  • Jan 29, 2021 - North Dakota 83 vs. Western Illinois 81
  • Feb 15, 2020 - North Dakota 86 vs. Western Illinois 83
  • Jan 25, 2020 - North Dakota 83 vs. Western Illinois 77
  • Feb 01, 2019 - North Dakota 74 vs. Western Illinois 73
  • Jan 12, 2019 - North Dakota 71 vs. Western Illinois 65