North Dakota State (11-5) vs Nebraska-Omaha (7-9)
January 4, 2025 at 02:00 PM EST
The Line: Betting Odds: North Dakota State -12.5 / Nebraska-Omaha +12.5 — Over/Under:
The Omaha Mavericks and the North Dakota State Bison meet Saturday in college basketball action from Scheels Center. Here’s an Omaha vs North Dakota State prediction. We will look at this from a betting perspective and determine the best Omaha vs North Dakota State pick. We will examine:
The Omaha Mavericks’ recent form and player performance
The North Dakota State Bison’s recent form and player performance
Recent betting trends and streaks involving the Omaha Mavericks
Recent betting trends and streaks involving the North Dakota State Bison
Recent betting trends in games played between Omaha vs North Dakota State
A summary that ties it all together and produces a favorable betting outcome for the Omaha vs North Dakota State game
Omaha Mavericks Betting Preview
This year the Mavericks won their first two games versus Mid-America Christian and Stetson. Next came a rough losing streak versus Minnesota, UNLV, Southern Utah, Alabama State and Akron, though. Omaha would win just two of the next six games versus Lamar and Sacramento State. Otherwise, it was losses to Abilene Christian, Montana State, Northern Iowa, and Iowa State in that time. After that came a pair of wins over Cal Poly and Mount Marty for a 6-9 overall record for the Mavericks through their first 15 games of the 2024-25 season.
On Thursday in the North Dakota matchup, Omaha was looking good by halftime on a 45-34 advantage. The Mavericks kept up the pace in the second half, notching a 51-50 run for a 95-85 victory in the end. Omaha was led by Marquel Sutton with 27 points and seven rebounds in the win. Tony Osburn added 20 points with four rebounds and three steals, while Kamryn Thomas put up 13 points with six boards and three assists. JJ Whtie chipped in with 12 points, six assists, and two rebounds as well, while Ja’Sean Glover had seven bench points.
North Dakota State Bison Betting Preview
Over on the North Dakota State side, they stumbled to a 3-4 overall record in their first seven games. The Bison would only beat Jamestown, Santa Clara, and Minnesota Crookston in that time. Otherwise, it was losses to Illinois State, Cal State Bakersfield, Southern Illinois, and Samford at that time. North Dakota State would recover quite well from that rough start, rattling off wins over West Georgia, Utah Valley, Weber State, Northern Colorado, Butler, Wisconsin-Stout, Western Michigan, and Cal State Bakersfield over the next eight outings.
In their latest game versus St. Thomas-Minnesota, the Bison managed to stay close in the first half, notching a 41-39 deficit at the break. North Dakota State couldn’t get any closer than that in the second, however, eventually losing a tough one 89-85 in the end. Leading the team in scoring was Jackson Moni with 25 points, three boards, and four assists. Brennan Watkins added 18 points, three boards, and four assists, and Noah Feddersen had 14 points with nine rebounds. Tops off the bench was Tajavis Miller with his nine points and three rebounds.
Why the North Dakota State Bison will win
- Omaha has lost each of its last six games at Scheels Center against non-AP-ranked opponents.
- North Dakota State has won each of its last six games against Omaha at Scheels Center.
- North Dakota State has won the first half in each of its last nine games against Omaha at Scheels Center.
Why the Omaha Mavericks will win
- North Dakota State has lost each of its last four games against Conference opponents.
- Omaha has won each of its last three games.
- Omaha has won the first half in each of its last three games against non-AP-ranked opponents.
Omaha vs North Dakota State Prediction
I’ll lean toward Omaha, but you could probably call this one either way. It’ll be a fun matchup. The Mavericks are fresh off a solid win over North Dakota, posting 57.1 percent shooting from the field and 50 percent (10-of-20) from 3-point range alongside 34 rebounds and 12 team assists. The turnovers were a little high (12 for 14 North Dakota points) but otherwise, it was a pretty nice and well-rounded effort. That makes three straight wins with 81 or more points scored in each outing for the Mavericks.
As for North Dakota State, they were pretty generous on defense with St. Thomas-Minnesota in their last game. The Bison gave up 54.4 percent shooting to the Tommies but played quite well otherwise. North Dakota State had a dominant edge in rebounding 40-25 but just couldn’t slow down the opposing offense. Omaha is really going to have to dig in offensively here in order to cover, but I think the Mavericks are up for it.