South Dakota State vs Providence Picks and Odds

• Providence is a 2.5-point favorite over South Dakota State in an NCAA Tournament Midwest Region first round game
• The winner advances to play either Iowa or Richmond
• A look at the South Dakota State vs Providence odds can be found below along with matchup analysis and best bets

The #13 seed South Dakota State Jackrabbits put the longest winning streak in the nation on the line when they meet the #4 seed Providence Friars in an NCAA Tournament Midwest Region first round game at 12:40 p.m. ET Thursday at the KeyBank Center in Buffalo.

South Dakota State (30-4) has won 21 straight games, the latest victory over North Dakota State 75-69 in the Summit League Tournament championship game March 8.

Providence (25-5) was routed by Creighton 85-58 last Friday in the Big East Tournament semifinals. The Friars have lost two of their last three games after winning 11 of 12.

The winner plays Iowa or Richmond on Saturday in the March Madness bracket.

South Dakota State vs Providence Odds

Odds as of March 16th at Barstool Sportsbook.

Providence is a 2.5-point favorite in a game that will be televised by TruTV and has an implied 58.51% win probability as -141 choices on the moneyline, according to the March Madness game odds.

South Dakota State Betting Outlook

The first team to ever go through Summit League play unbeaten and with a school-record 30 wins, South Dakota State is 18-14-1 against the spread this season.

The Jackrabbits lead the nation in three-point shooting at 44.9%. Sophomore guard Baylor Scheierman, the league player of the year, is connecting on 47.3% of his shots from deep.

South Dakota State will be a popular upset pick against Providence, which makes sense considering they haven't lost in three months and will have the best NBA prospect on the court at their disposal in Baylor Scheierman. pic.twitter.com/tTcKOAj20b

— Jonathan Givony (@DraftExpress) March 14, 2022

Scheierman is averaging 16.2 points, 7.8 rebounds and 4.6 assists a game, though he had an off night in the Summit League title game. He managed just 11 points on 4-of-15 shooting, though he did contribute four assists and three steals.

South Dakota State made up for Scheierman’s shooting woes with balance as five players scored in double figures.

Senior forward Douglas Wilson led the way with 21 points, 11 rebounds and four assists. The first-team all-league selection scored at least 20 points in all three tournament games and notched his third double-double of the season and first since Nov. 23 in the final.

Wilson is scoring a team-high 16.5 points and grabbing 5.5 rebounds a game.

Sophomore guard Charlie Easley had 15 points and six rebounds, freshman guard Zeke Mayo added 12 points and junior guard Alex Arians chipped in with 10 points and six rebounds. Arians had gone seven games without scoring in double figures.

21-0. 𝗟𝗘𝗧'𝗦 𝗗𝗔𝗡𝗖𝗘! 🕺#GoJacks 🐰 pic.twitter.com/d526S1gd0j

— Jackrabbit Men’s Basketball (@GoJacksMBB) March 9, 2022

South Dakota State trailed 61-60 with 3:05 left before rallying. The Jackrabbits committed just five turnovers.

Sophomore guard Noah Friedel has a 14.2 scoring average but hasn’t started since Dec. 20 for undisclosed reasons. He has appeared in four games since and logged just 11 minutes total.

Providence Betting Outlook

Despite the lopsided loss to Creighton, Providence is 17-13 ATS and won its first regular-season Big East title after 43 years as a charter member of the conference.

Senior guard Al Durham was the Friars’ lone double-digit scorer last Friday as he had 21 points, five rebounds and three assists. He is second in the team in scoring with a 13.4 average and is dishing 3.3 assists a game.

Al Durham is one of those guards that is simply just fun to watch. (via @PCFriarsmbb) pic.twitter.com/1lKjkWmL8w

— SLAM University (@slam_university) March 12, 2022

It was the third 20-point game of the season for Durham, who has scored in double figures in five of his last six games and 14 of 16.

Providence shot just 30.8% (20 of 65) and made 3 of 24 (12.5%) from long range in the most lopsided for a #1 seed in tournament history. The Friars allowed Creighton to shoot 52.6% (30 of 57).

Leading scorer Nate Watson managed just five points for Providence on 2-of-7 shooting. The senior center has a 13.8 season average while pulling down 5.4 rebounds a game.

Junior guard Jared Bynum has averages of 12.7 points and 4.2 assists while senior guard A.J. Reeves has a 10.0 scoring average.

What a season it has been for Jared Bynum @JBDimes3. Full season highlights are in the link below — and there are a lot of them.https://t.co/SAOt0ZFkw1 pic.twitter.com/LVz5wLYV2I

— Kevin Farrahar (@Kevin_Farrahar) March 9, 2022

Reeves is expected to play after he left the game with 8:49 remaining following a collision with a Creighton player and did not return.

Providence enters the 2022 NCAA Tournament with +8000 odds to win March Madness and +3350 odds to reach the Final Four.

South Dakota State vs Providence Prediction

A dangerous team that can light it up from deep, South Dakota is a trendy Cinderella pick. With risk-free March Madness betting promos available, many people are going to take a big swing on the underdog here.

However, Providence has had a sensational season. Look for the Friars’ power-conference pedigree to show in a matchup of teams making their first appearances in the NCAAs since 2018.

The Pick: Providence -2.5 (-112)

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