2020 Summit League Tournament Opening Odds
- The Summit League Tournament takes places from March 7th-10th at the Denny Sanford Premier Center in Sioux Falls, South Dakota
- North Dakota State is the top seed by virtue of winning a tiebreaker over South Dakota State, who are the betting favorites
- See the full field odds and the best pick to earn the NCAA Tournament bid below
The Summit League and the oddsmakers have two different views of a tiebreaker.
North Dakota State and South Dakota State tied for the regular-season title with 13-3 records. Yet while North Dakota State won the league tiebreaker and is the top seed in the Summit League Tournament, the oddsmakers favor South Dakota State to win the eight-team affair.
The semifinals will be played March 9 and the championship game March 10.
2020 Summit League Tournament Odds
| Team (seed) | Odds |
|---|---|
| South Dakota State (2) | +150 |
| North Dakota State (1) | +325 |
| Oral Roberts (4) | +400 |
| South Dakota (3) | +450 |
| Nebraska-Omaha (5) | +1700 |
| North Dakota (6) | +2400 |
| Purdue Fort Wayne (7) | +3500 |
| Denver (8) | +6500 |
Odds taken March 2
Summit League Tournament Bracket
North Dakota State Bison are Thundering
North Dakota State has the hot hand going into the tournament. The Bison have won nine of their last 10 games, though they have also dropped four of their last six against the spread.
The senior backcourt duo of Vinny Shahid (18.1 PPG) and Tyson Ward (16.5 PPG) lead the way for North Dakota State as it has combined for 34.6 points a game. Ward also tops with the Bison in rebounding with a 7.0 average.
Tyson Ward has been named the mid-major National Player of the Week by https://t.co/ceA8HMJJLG.
👊🏽 26.5 points.
👊🏽 6.0 rebounds.
👊🏽 71% shooting.
👊🏽 2 HUGE wins. pic.twitter.com/nZdtcfdGco— NDSU Men's Basketball (@NDSUmbb) March 2, 2020
In a fast-paced league, North Dakota State has the best adjusted defensive efficiency, according to KenPom.com, allowing 101.6 points per 100 possessions.
South Dakota State Great ATS
South Dakota State had an eight-game winning streak snapped in its season finale Feb. 27 when it dropped a 71-69 decision to North Dakota State. The Jackrabbits have been one of the top teams in college basketball from a betting standpoint this season with a 21-8 record ATS.
Junior forward Douglas Wilson and sophomore forward Matt Dentlinger give South Dakota State a strong frontcourt presence. Wilson is averaging 18.6 points and 6.4 rebounds – both team highs – while Dentlinger’s averages are 12.0 and 6.4.
Dentlinger is also shooting 64 percent from the floor and Wilson is right behind at 63 percent for a team with a 110.1 AOE, which is first in the Summit and 44th in the nation.
South Dakota bears watching as the No. 3 seed, though it had lost three straight games before beating North Dakota 77-67 on Feb. 29 in its last game of the regular season.
The Coyotes are a well-balanced team with five players with double-digit scoring averages. Senior forward Tyler Hagedom (18.1 PPG, 6.7 RPG) and junior guard Stanley Umude (16.7 PPG, 6.3 RPG) are combining for 34.8 points and 13.0 rebounds a game.
Oral Roberts Playing Well
Despite its lackluster record, Oral Roberts appears to be very dangerous as the No. 4 seed. The Golden Eagles are playing their best basketball of the season, having won four of their last five games.
.@ORUMBB beats Purdue Fort Wayne 72-66. Golden Eagles clinch the No. 4 seed in @thesummitleague Championship. #GoldenStandard pic.twitter.com/GjspJCWvwW
— Scott Pfeil (@scottpfeil) March 1, 2020
Oral Roberts also has plenty of scoring options, including senior forward Emmanuel Nzekwesi (16.4 ppg,), senior guard Deondre Burns (15.3 ppg) and freshman guard Max Abmas (14.7 ppg). With 9.8 rebounds a game, Nzekwesi is averaging nearly a double-double.
The Summit League Tournament is one of the biggest sporting events in South Dakota each year and a team from the Dakotas has won it in each of the last eight seasons.
However, at a good price and playing well, Oral Roberts and its three-pronged offensive attack feels like the play to end that streak and reached the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2008.
The pick: Oral Roberts +400
SBD’s NCAA conference tournament coverage:
- 2020 Big South Tournament Opening Odds: Radford -110 Favorite
- Colgate Team to Beat in Patriot League Tournament Opening Odds
- 2020 NEC Tournament Opening Odds
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San Diego State a -175 Favorite in Mountain West Tournament Opening Odds
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Opening SoCon Tournament Odds Favor East Tennessee State Over Furman, UNC-Greensboro
John Perrotto has been covering and writing about sports for various outlets for over 40 years. His work has appeared in the likes of USA TODAY, ESPN.com, SI.com, Forbes.com, The Associated Press, Baseball Digest, and more. John is based out of Beaver Falls, PA.
