Who’s Playing
Portland Pilots @ N. Dak. State Bison
Current Records: Portland 5-4, N. Dak. State 5-4
How To Watch
What to Know
Portland has enjoyed a two-game homestand but will soon have to dust off their road jerseys. They will square off against the N. Dak. State Bison at 8:00 p.m. ET on Thursday at Scheels Center. Coming off a loss in a game Portland was expected to win, they now face the more daunting task of proving themselves against unfavorable odds.
Last Sunday, things couldn’t have gone much worse for the Pilots as they lost 80-58 to the Falcons.
The loss doesn’t tell the whole story though, as several players had good games. One of the most active was Chris Austin, who scored 15 points. The team also got some help courtesy of Tyler Robertson, who scored 14 points along with 5 assists.
Meanwhile, winning is just a little bit easier when you make seven more threes than your opponent, a fact N. Dak. State proved on Monday. They walked away with a 83-78 victory over the Spartans.
N. Dak. State got their win on the backs of several key players, but it was Noah Feddersen out in front who scored 17 points along with 6 rebounds. Tajavis Miller was another key contributor, dropping a double-double on 10 points and 10 rebounds.
The Pilots’ loss was their third straight at home, which bumped their record down to 5-4. Those good results were due in large part to their offensive dominance across that stretch, as they averaged 81.0 points per game. As for the Bison, they now have a winning record of 5-4.
This contest is one where the number of possessions is likely to be a big factor: Portland have been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 37.9 rebounds per game. However, it’s not like N. Dak. State struggles in that department as they’ve been averaging 37.7 per game. Given these competing strengths, it’ll be interesting to see how their clash plays out. Come back here after the game to find expert analysis of the match and other NCAA Basketball content.
Portland came up short against N. Dak. State in their previous meeting back in December of 2022, falling 67-62. Can Portland avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We’ll find out soon enough.
Odds
N. Dak. State is a slight 2.5-point favorite against Portland, according to the latest college basketball odds.
The oddsmakers had a good feel for the line for this one, as the game opened with the Bison as a 1.5-point favorite.
The over/under is set at 148.5 points.
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Series History
N. Dak. State won the only game these two teams have played in the last year.
- Dec 05, 2022 – N. Dak. State 67 vs. Portland 62
