St. Thomas – Minnesota () vs South Dakota State (10-6)
January 8, 2025 at 09:00 PM EST
The Line: Betting Odds: St. Thomas -3.5 – Minnesota +3.5 — Over/Under: 156
The South Dakota State Jackrabbits and the St. Thomas Minnesota Tommies meet Wednesday in college basketball action from Schoenecker Arena. Here’s a South Dakota State vs St. Thomas-MN prediction. We will look at this from a betting perspective and determine the best South Dakota State vs St. Thomas-MN pick. We will examine:
The South Dakota State Jackrabbits’ recent form and player performance
The St. Thomas Minnesota Tommies’ recent form and player performance
Recent betting trends and streaks involving the South Dakota State Jackrabbits
Recent betting trends and streaks involving the St. Thomas Minnesota Tommies
Recent betting trends in games played between South Dakota State and St. Thomas-MN
A summary that ties it all together and produces a favorable betting outcome for the South Dakota State vs St. Thomas-MN game
South Dakota State Jackrabbits Betting Preview
This year the Jackrabbits opened up their season on a pretty solid 5-1 run. The only loss in that half-dozen-game stretch was versus Northern Colorado. Otherwise, it was wins over McNeese, Long Beach State, Mount Marty College, Southern Miss, and Duquesne. A 3-2 stretch ensued after that with wins over Missouri State, Dakota Wesleyan, and Eastern Washington alongside losses to Boise State and Montana. It’s been an inverted 2-3 run in the last five with losses to Nevada, Colorado, and Alabama alongside wins over Chadron State and Denver.
In the Denver game last Thursday, the Jackrabbits didn’t have any issues. South Dakota State stormed out to a 46-19 halftime edge, then cruised in the second on a 51-45 run for a 91-70 blowout victory. Tops in scoring with a double-double was Oscar Cluff with 30 points, 19 rebounds, and two assists. Owen Larson added 12 points with five boards and four assists, while Matthew Mors had 11 points with four rebounds and two assists. Leading bench scorer Stoney Hadnot added 11 points with four rebounds and a steal in 14 minutes of work.
St. Thomas MN Tommies Betting Preview
Over on the St. Thomas MN side, they kicked off their year with a couple of wins over North Central MN and Green Bay, then hit a rough 2-4 run over the next half dozen outings. St. Thomas MN beat only St. Norbert and Portland State in that time, otherwise falling versus Oklahoma State, Arizona State, Wofford, and Milwaukee. Since then it’s been a nice 8-1 run for the Tommies, though. The lone loss in that time was against UC Riverside in OT. Otherwise, the wins were over Chicago State, Northern Colorado, Montana, Western Michigan, Crown College, Bowling Green, North Dakota State, and North Dakota for a 12-5 record so far.
In the North Dakota matchup on Saturday, the Tommies came into the locker room with a sizable 41-29 edge. St. Thomas MN fell behind in the second on a 51-47 run but still took the victory in the end 88-80. Tops in scoring was Miles Barnstable with 30 points and five rebounds. Nolan Minessale added 13 points with eight boards, and Carter Bjerke had 12 points with one rebound, one assist, one steal, and one block. Leading bench scorer Ben Oosterbaan posted 11 points and four boards in 13 minutes on the court.
Why the St. Thomas Tommies will win
- St. Thomas (MN) has won each of its last 10 games at Schoenecker Arena against non-AP-ranked opponents.
- South Dakota State has lost each of its last three road games against non-AP-ranked opponents.
- South Dakota State has lost the first half in three of its last four road night games against Conference opponents.
Why the South Dakota State Jackrabbits will win
- South Dakota State has won each of its last nine games against Conference opponents.
South Dakota State vs St. Thomas MN Prediction
I’ll lean toward St. Thomas MN. The Tommies had a pretty shaky run going in November, but since then they’ve righted the proverbial ship and are looking pretty good. In the win over North Dakota, St. Thomas MN hit a nice 54.4 percent from the field with 46.7 percent (14-of-30) from outside along with 35 rebounds and 13 team assists in a solid overall effort. The Tommies offense is cooking these days; they’ve hit 77 or more points in nine straight games—an 8-1 stretch in the record column.
As for South Dakota State, they’ve hit 70 or more points in four straight but they’re also giving up a lot of points on the other side. St. Thomas MN should have ample opportunities to score in this one.