Denver Pioneers vs South Dakota State Jackrabbits NCAA Basketball Betting Pick & Prediction 1/2/25

Looking to win big? The Pioneers and Jackrabbits face off at 9:00 ET on CBSS. The Jackrabbits are hosting the game at First Bank & Trust Arena in Brookings, SD. This Summit conference matchup has an over/under of 151.5 points, and South Dakota State is favored to win by -15.5 at home vs. Denver.

DENVER PIONEERS VS SOUTH DAKOTA STATE JACKRABBITS BETTING PICK

The Pick: Denver Pioneers +15.5

This game will be played at First Bank & Trust Arena at 9:00 ET on Thursday, January 2nd.

WHY BET THE DENVER PIONEERS:

• We have this one finishing with a projected score of 77-71 in favor of the Jackrabbits.
• Even though we have South Dakota State winning straight-up, we like Denver at +15.5.
• The over/under is currently sitting at 151.5 points, and we like the under with a projected 148 points.

Do the Pioneers Stand a Chance on the Road?

Denver’s season continued its rough start with an 82-75 loss to Northern Colorado on Saturday, dropping their record to 3-9. The Pioneers were +6 underdogs going into the game and failed to cover the spread. The total points for the game hit 157, just over the O/U line of 154.5.

Denver led 42-36 at halftime but struggled in the second half, scoring only 33 points while allowing 46. The Pioneers will need to address their second-half performance if they hope to turn things around this season.

Denver’s offense was firing from deep in their last game, hitting 60% of their threes (12/20) and finishing with an effective field goal percentage of 63.8%. Overall, they shot 51.1% from the field, with their two-point shooting at 44.4% (12/27).

Josh Lee was perfect from the field, hitting all 5 of his shots, including 3/3 from beyond the arc. Nicholas Shogbonyo and Langston Reynolds both went 100% from three, with Shogbonyo hitting 2/2 and Reynolds 1/1. Brock Wisne led the team with 22 points, shooting 6/7 overall.

Despite Denver’s defensive struggles, they managed to put up 82 points in their last game. They shot 51% from the field, hitting 24 of their 47 attempts. Inside the arc, they went 12/27, shooting 44% on two-point attempts.

From beyond the arc, Denver was impressive, knocking down 12 of their 20 three-point attempts for a 60% shooting rate. They also went to the free-throw line 21 times, making 15 of those for 71%. On the offensive glass, they gave up just 2 offensive rebounds.

Can South Dakota State Deliver Being Favored at Home?

South Dakota State Jackrabbits Recent Game/Games

South Dakota State fell to 6-6 on the season after a 105-82 road loss to Alabama on Sunday. Entering the game as +22.5 point underdogs, the Jackrabbits not only lost but failed to cover the spread.

Alabama jumped out to a 57-33 lead by halftime, but the Jackrabbits showed some fight in the 2nd half, scoring 49 points while allowing 48. The game’s total points of 187 exceeded the over/under line of 166.5.

In their latest game, the South Dakota State Jackrabbits put up 82 points, shooting 42.3% from the field. They connected on 11 of 26 three-point attempts, also hitting 42.3% from deep, and were 84.6% from the free-throw line. Their effective field goal percentage was 50.7%, and they grabbed 13 offensive rebounds, with 13 assists as a team.

Aden Holloway led the way with 26 points, hitting 8 of 19 threes. Labaron Philon and Oscar Cluff each added 21 points, with Cluff pulling down 15 rebounds. Mark Sears contributed 20 points, hitting 6 threes, and Grant Nelson was efficient, scoring 17 points on 7 of 8 shooting, adding 8 rebounds.

South Dakota State’s defense struggled, giving up 105 points on 47% shooting. They allowed 37 field goals on 78 attempts.

From three-point range, opponents hit 19 of 55 shots (34%). South Dakota State also sent them to the line 16 times, where they made 12 free throws (75%).