Halftime Report
A win for North Dakota would push their record over .500, and after one quarter of play they’ve put themselves in a good position to make it happen. They have jumped out to a quick 36-32 lead against LMU.
If North Dakota keeps playing like this, they’ll bump their record up to 3-2 in no time. On the other hand, LMU will have to make due with a 1-3 record unless they turn things around (and fast).
Who’s Playing
North Dakota Fighting Hawks @ LMU Lions
Current Records: North Dakota 2-2, LMU 1-2
How To Watch
What to Know
The North Dakota Fighting Hawks are taking a road trip to face off against the LMU Lions at 10:00 p.m. ET on Friday at Gersten Pavilion. The Fighting Hawks’ defense has only allowed 56.4 points per game this season, so the Lions’ offense will have their work cut out for them.
Last Tuesday, things could have been worse for North Dakota, but they could have been a whole lot better as they took a 75-58 loss to Notre Dame.
Even though they lost, North Dakota smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 14 offensive rebounds. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they’ve now pulled down at least 14 offensive rebounds in three consecutive contests.
Meanwhile, LMU couldn’t handle Saint Louis on Saturday and fell 77-71. The Lions have now taken an ‘L’ in back-to-back games.
LMU’s defeat shouldn’t obscure the performances of Will Johnston, who earned 27 points along with five rebounds, and Alex Merkviladze, who dropped a double-double on 13 points and 12 rebounds. Merkviladze’s performance made up for a slower game against UC Irvine two weeks ago.
North Dakota’s loss dropped their record down to 2-2. As for LMU, they now have a losing record at 1-2.
Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: North Dakota has been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 39.5 rebounds per game. However, it’s not like LMU struggles in that department as they’ve been averaging 36.3. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we’ll see if one team can grab an edge.
North Dakota is hoping to beat the odds on Friday, as the experts think they’re headed for a loss. They might be worth a quick bet since they’re sitting on a three game streak of covering the spread when playing as the underdog.
Odds
LMU is a big 8.5-point favorite against North Dakota, 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 Lions as a 8-point favorite.
The over/under is 145 points.
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