North Dakota State vs Oral Roberts Odds, Picks and Predictions: Eagles Not Golden Against Spread

The North Dakota State Bison and Oral Roberts Golden Eagles meet Tuesday in the Summit League Tournament Final, with an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament on the line.

North Dakota State entered the Summit tourney as the 3-seed despite a 14-16 record after the regular season concluded. It has ripped off wins over South Dakota and South Dakota State to get to the final.

Oral Roberts is no stranger to championships, and even casual bracket fans remember ORU’s recent memorable run. It is the 1-seed in the Summit, and it topped North Dakota and St. Thomas (MN) to get here.

Can North Dakota State sneak into the NCAA Tournament, or will Oral Roberts punch its ticket to the dance and make another potential run? We’ll discuss in our college basketball picks and predictions for North Dakota State vs. Oral Roberts on Tuesday, March 7.

North Dakota State vs Oral Roberts best odds

North Dakota State vs Oral Roberts picks and predictions

The Bison of North Dakota State are just .500 overall, but had a rather challenging non-conference schedule, so its record isn’t as bad as it might appear.

NoDak State has recorded covers against the likes of Arkansas and Kansas, albeit in double-digit losses. It won’t be fazed by the lights of a tournament final.

However, Oral Roberts won the first meeting at Scheels Center by a 92-69 score, as the Golden Eagles easily covered a seven-point spread.

In the most recent meeting on February 18, ORU earned a 74-66 score, although the Bison covered the 13.5-point number.

The Bison hit 43% (28-of-65) from the field in that mid-February battle, while going just 19% (4-of-21) from behind the arc. North Dakota State turned it over 14 times, too, to just eight turnovers for ORU. The Bison did outrebound the Golden Eagles by five, 41-to-36. 

However, ORU managed to take it to North Dakota State in the paint, going to the line 19 times, converting at an 84% clip. On the flip side, the Bison earned just nine trips to the line, converting six times. They will need to be more aggressive, trying to get to the line, or it will fall by the wayside yet again.

I like the postseason experience of Oral Roberts, and in particular, the leadership and experience of Max Abmas. He dropped 27 on the Bison in the mid-February battle, and he hit four triples while covering all seven of his free-throw attempts. 

Bank on the Golden Eagles to win this Summit League title, and look for Oral Roberts to potentially give somebody nightmares in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. However, it just hasn’t been covering double-digit numbers on a regular basis. This is a big spread for a title game, and the Bison will keep it within single digits.

My best bet: North Dakota State +10.5 (-110 at Caesars)

North Dakota State vs Oral Roberts spread analysis

The good news is that North Dakota State has managed to cover in four of the past five games against teams with a winning overall record, while going 6-3 ATS in the past nine games overall.

The bad news is that the Bison are just 1-3-1 ATS in the past five games at a neutral site, while the underdog is 8-18-2 ATS in the past 28 meetings in this series.

While Oral Roberts is just 1-7 ATS in the past eight games overall, it seems to light up on a neutral floor, going 8-2 ATS in the past 10 games at a neutral site.

As a double-digit favorite, Oral Roberts covered a 15.5-point number against North Dakota in this tournament, although it failed to even come close against the Tommies of St. Thomas last time out in the semis. In fact, ORU is just 1-5 ATS in the past six games as a double-digit favorite.

Again, this is a big number for a championship game, and North Dakota State covered as a 13.5-point ‘dog in most recent battle. Feel confident in the Bison keeping it within single digits.

North Dakota State vs Oral Roberts Over/Under analysis

The Bison rattled off 89 points last time out against 2-seed South Dakota State, its highest total since dropping 91 on rival North Dakota on January 27.

The 89-point effort was also the first Over result since February 4, which, ironically, came against South Dakota State. The Under was 6-0-1 in the previous seven outings.

Oral Roberts flirted with triple digits against UND in the Summit quarters, hitting the Over, but the Under is 6-1 across the past seven games overall, thanks mostly in part to a solid Golden Eagles defense.

While ORU’s offense gets most of the attention, going for 84.3 PPG to rank third in the nation, while hitting 48.0% from the field to rank No. 24, the defense is often overlooked. The team allows just 70.4 ppg, and limits the opposition to just 41.6% from the field, which is Top-60 in the nation.

The Under is 6-1-1 in the past eight games overall for NDSU, while going 6-1 in the past seven for ORU. This won’t be a defensive slog, but we should see some early nerves in the first half, with the total coming in just slightly Under. 

North Dakota State vs Oral Roberts betting trend to know

North Dakota has covered in four of the past five games against winning teams, while Oral Roberts has covered in just one of the past eight games overall. Find more college basketball betting trends for North Dakota State vs. Oral Roberts.

North Dakota State vs Oral Roberts game info

North Dakota State vs Oral Roberts key injuries

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