Who's Playing

Western Illinois @ North Dakota

Current Records: Western Illinois 15-12; North Dakota 11-18

What to Know

The North Dakota Fighting Hawks haven't won a matchup against the Western Illinois Leathernecks since Jan. 29 of 2021, but they'll be looking to end the drought Thursday. North Dakota and WIU will face off in a Summit battle at noon ET at Betty Engelstad Sioux Center. The Fighting Hawks will be strutting in after a win while the Leathernecks will be stumbling in from a loss.

North Dakota beat the UMKC Roos 81-73 on Saturday.

Meanwhile, WIU ended up a good deal behind the St. Thomas (MN) Tommies when they played on Saturday, losing 82-69.

North Dakota is the favorite in this one, with an expected 3.5-point margin of victory. They might be worth taking a chance on against the spread as they are currently on a two-game streak of ATS wins.

The Fighting Hawks' victory brought them up to 11-18 while the Leathernecks' defeat pulled them down to 15-12. A couple defensive stats to keep in the back of your head while watching: North Dakota has allowed their opponents to shoot 47% from the floor on average, which is the eighth highest shooting percentage allowed in college basketball. WIU has experienced some struggles of their own as they have allowed their opponents to shoot 46.30% from the floor on average, which is the 28th highest shooting percentage allowed in college basketball. The good news? The teams might be seeing more of their shots fall.

How To Watch

  • When: Thursday at 12 p.m. ET
  • Where: Betty Engelstad Sioux Center -- Grand Forks, North Dakota
  • Follow: CBS Sports App

Odds

The Fighting Hawks are a 3.5-point favorite against the Leathernecks, according to the latest college basketball odds.

The oddsmakers had a good feel for the line for this one, as the game opened with the Fighting Hawks as a 3-point favorite.

Over/Under: -110

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Series History

North Dakota have won five out of their last nine games against Western Illinois.

  • Jan 23, 2023 - Western Illinois 92 vs. North Dakota 80
  • Feb 12, 2022 - Western Illinois 70 vs. North Dakota 68
  • Jan 13, 2022 - Western Illinois 73 vs. North Dakota 68
  • Jan 30, 2021 - Western Illinois 99 vs. North Dakota 87
  • Jan 29, 2021 - North Dakota 83 vs. Western Illinois 81
  • Feb 15, 2020 - North Dakota 86 vs. Western Illinois 83
  • Jan 25, 2020 - North Dakota 83 vs. Western Illinois 77
  • Feb 01, 2019 - North Dakota 74 vs. Western Illinois 73
  • Jan 12, 2019 - North Dakota 71 vs. Western Illinois 65