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Summit League Tournament Odds, Preview, and Picks

John Perrotto

by John Perrotto in College Basketball

Updated Mar 2, 2022 · 11:43 PM PST

Dec 11, 2021; Spokane, Washington, USA; South Dakota State Jackrabbits guard Baylor Scheierman (3) celebrates after a three-pointer against the Washington State Cougars in the second half at Spokane Arena. Jackrabbits won 77-74. Mandatory Credit: James Snook-USA TODAY Sports
  • Riding an 18-game winning streak, South Dakota State is a -190 favorite to win the Summit League Tournament
  • The championship game is set for Tuesday night and will be televised by ESPN2.
  • The Summit League Tournament odds and best bet can be found below

After a history-making regular season, South Dakota State is the odds-on favorite to win the Summit League Tournament.

South Dakota State became the first team to go through a Summit League season undefeated, winning all 18 games. The oddsmakers expect the Jackrabbits to add to that 18-game winning streak in the league tournament, which will be held from Saturday-Tuesday (March 5-8) at the Sanford Premier Center in Sioux Falls, S.D.

Summit League Tournament Odds

Team Odds
#1 South Dakota State -190
#2 North Dakota State +500
#3 Oral Roberts +550
#4 Kansas City +1900
#5 South Dakota +1900
#6 Western Illinois +2300
#7 Denver +24000
#8 Omaha +50000

Odds as of March 2nd at FanDuel Sportsbook.

 

With odds of -190, South Dakota State has an implied win probability of 65.52%.

The tournament kicks off Thursday with two first-round games as South Dakota State (27-4) faces #8 seed Omaha (5-24) at 7 p.m. ET and #4 Kansas City (19-11) squares off with #5 South Dakota (18-11) at 9:30 p.m.

The other first-round games are Friday with #4 Kansas City (19-11) opposing #5 South Dakota (18-11) and #3 Oral Roberts (18-11) playing #6 Western Illinois (16-14).

The semifinals are Monday night, and the championship game is set for 9 p.m. Tuesday and will be televised on ESPN2.

Jackrabbits Haven’t Been Caught

South Dakota State hasn’t lost since Dec. 15 when it fell at Missouri State. One of the Jackrabbits’ four losses is to Alabama, which has +6500 odds to win the NCAA Tournament and +1200 odds to reach the Final Four.

South Dakota State is led sophomore guard Baylor Scheierman, who is having an outstanding season as he averages 16.2 points, 8.2 rebounds and 4.6 assists a game.

Scheierman leads the Summit League in rebounds and assists and is fourth in scoring. He has posted 11 doubles-doubles and scored at least 20 points in 10 games, including each of the last three.

Senior forward Douglas Wilson is scoring 16.0 points and pulling down 5.2 rebounds a game while leading the league with a 57.7 field goal percentage. He has scored in double figures in 17 of the last 18 games.

The status of sophomore guard Noah Friedel, who is averaging 15.1 points, is uncertain after he missed the last four games of the regular season for undisclosed reasons.

SBD’s projected March Madness bracket has South Dakota as a #13 seed.

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North Dakota State Top Challenger

North Dakota State enters the tournament having won seven of its last eight games and 10 of its last 12. The Bison lost to South Dakota State by four points twice in the regular season.

Senior forward Rocky Kreuser is averaging 15.8 points and 8.0 rebounds but has not as been as productive late in the season. Second in the Summit League in rebounding, he has seven double-doubles, but only one in the last 10 games, and has not scored more than 14 points in any of the last five games.

Junior wing Sam Griesel is having a fine all-round season with averages of 13.5 points, 6.4 rebounds and 2.9 steals. He scored 20 or more points in four straight games before being held to nine by North Dakota in the regular-season finale.

Others to Watch

Oral Roberts won the tournament last season then advanced to the Sweet 16 last season behind Max Abmas. The junior guard is back but the Golden Eagles dropped their last two regular-season games.

Abmas leads the Summit League in scoring at 22.7 points a game, ranking fifth nationally, while also averaging 3.7 assists. He has scored in double figures in 27 of 28 games and reached the 20-point 16 times while ranking third in the league in assists.

Kansas City won three in a row and seven of eight before losing to South Dakota State 86-75 to end the regular season.

The Roos’ top player in senior guard Evan Gilyard II, who is second in the Summit League in scoring (16.9) and fifth in assists (3.4). He has 10 games with 20 or more points and has finished in double figures in the last 16 games.

South Dakota finished the regular season by going 5-1 in six games The Coyotes have four players with double-figure scoring averages, paced by junior guard Kruz Perrott-Hunt (15.0).

SDSU Is Summit League Tournament Best Bet

Considering South Dakota State hasn’t lost to a Summit League team all season, the Jackrabbits are the pick here, even at the low -190 price. Kansas City is enticing enough at +1900 to make a small wager after the Roos’ strong regular-season finish.

The Pick: South Dakota State (-190)

Conference Tournament Previews:

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