Check out our free Denver vs North Dakota pick and preview for this NCAA Basketball game in Grand Forks. See who we like to win and cover the spread in this College Basketball matchup.

Denver vs North Dakota Pick & Preview: Thursday, February 9th Betting Odds

Pioneers vs Fighting Hawks Matchup at a Glance

  • Sport: NCAAB
  • Teams: Denver Pioneers at North Dakota Fighting Hawks
  • Where: Grand Forks at Betty Engelstad Sioux Center
  • Date: Thursday, February 9th
  • Betting Odds: Denver +3, DEN +130 | NDAK -160 O/U 144.0

Pioneers Preview:

Denver heads into this matchup having played 26 games and have an overall record sitting at 13-13. So far, the Pioneers have played 15 games on the road, with a record of 6-9. For the season, Denver has been the underdog in 13 games, sitting with a mark of 3-10. Currently, the oddsmakers have the lines set with the Pioneers being +3 point underdogs.

Denver will be counting on another strong performance from the team’s leading scorer Tommy Bruner who is averaging 16.77 points per game for the Pioneers. Bruner is also important to the team’s ability to score on the perimeter. So far, he leads the team in 3-point shots made. Also key to the Pioneers’ offensive game plan is the play of Touko Tainamo who has hit 53.8% of his field goal attempts on his way to averaging 10.62 points per game.

Coming into today’s game, Denver will be looking from some improved play from their offense. Currently, the Pioneers are ranked 223rd at 70.5 points per game. A major reason for their low scoring mumbers is the fact that they tend to work the clock on offense. This year, they are the 407th ranked team in terms of pace. When looking at their 3-point shooting numbers, Denver is close to the NCAA average at 36.8%.

Fighting Hawks Preview:

Heading into today’s matchup vs Denver, the North Dakota Fighting Hawks will be taking the floor for the 26th time this season and have an overall record of 8-17. Currently, the Fighting Hawks have been the home team 12 times, sitting with a record of 5-7. The Fighting Hawks’ are sitting with a betting line that is -3 points in their favor. For the season, North Dakota has been favored to win in 1 game, sitting with a mark of 1-0.

North Dakota’s leading scorer this season is B.J. Omot, who is averaging 11.68 points per contest. So far, Omot has accounted for 16.67% of the team’s scoring. In addition, he is contributing 3.6 rebounds per game and 1.28 assists. Matt Norman is the second leading scorer for the Fighting Hawks, averaging 10.96 points per game. Between him and Norman, they are accounting for 32.3% of the team’s scoring.

Offensive production has been hard to come by for North Dakota this season, as they are currently ranked 232nd in college basketball at 70.3 points per game. A major reason for low scoring totals is the fact that they have played at a below average pace, and have struggled to knock down outside shots. As a team, the Fighting Hawks’ 3-point shooting percentage sits at just 34.4%, placing them 221st in the NCAA.

Free Spread Prediction: North Dakota Fighting Hawks -3

Heading into this matchup, our NCAA betting model has identified this game as a profitable opportunity and recommends taking the North Dakota Fighting Hawks to pick up the win and cover the spread as -3 point betting favorites. Although North Dakota as a team is just 377th in overall shooting percentage, we see their offense putting together a strong performance against the Pioneers’ defense. At -3 we see there being plenty of value in grabbing the Fighting Hawks to come out on top and cover.