The Fort Wayne Mastodons (17-12, 6-6 Summit) will travel to Scheels Center to meet the North Dakota State Bison (13-14, 4-7 Summit) in their home finale. Tip-off is scheduled for 3 p.m. ET on Saturday, February 17, 2018, and it can be seen on ESPN Full Court.
Fort Wayne Mastodons at North Dakota State Bison Odds Preview
The last time the Mastodons played, they were victorious over the Western Illinois Leathernecks, 90-74. With 19 points, eight rebounds and six assists, John Konchar had a good game for Fort Wayne. Fort Wayne played a nearly perfect game. They had an extraordinary effective field goal percentage of 0.603 (above their season average of 0.533) and an offensive rebounding percentage of 25.8 (below their season average of 27.4). For those same stats, Western Illinois was 0.455 and 21.4, respectively.
The Bison will look to keep it rolling after thoroughly outplaying the Mayville State Comets in their last matchup, 87-53. North Dakota State received a boost from Jared Samuelson, who was the top scorer from either team with 32 points on 10-for-15 shooting. North Dakota State played a perfect game. They had a free throw rate of 0.175 (matching their season average) and an offensive rebounding percentage of 16.7 (below their season average of 24.5). Mayville State had marks of 0.036 and 10.5, respectively, for those same stats.
From an effective field goal percentage perspective, North Dakota State figures to have a noteworthy edge. The upper-echelon Bison offense ranks 76th in the NCAA in that metric at 0.553, while the Fort Wayne defense is ranked 249th in effective field goal percentage allowed (0.519). Furthermore, the Mastodons rank 48th in turnover percentage (16.7 percent), while the Bison rank 303rd in opponents turnover percentage (15.2 percent).
Konchar has been playing at a high level over the last five games for Fort Wayne, averaging 20.4 points, 7.6 rebounds, 4.8 assists and 3.4 steals per game.
These teams have already met once this season. The Mastodons won 92-88. The Mastodons dominated nearly every stat category in the game. They had a fantastic free throw rate of 0.442 and an extraordinary effective field goal percentage of 0.663. The Bison were 0.177 and 0.621, respectively, for those same stats. In the victory, Bryson Scott led all scorers with 31 points.
Fort Wayne Mastodons vs. North Dakota State Bison Odds Prediction
College Basketball Prediction: SU Winner – Fort Wayne, ATS Winner – Fort Wayne, O/U – Over
Betting Notes:
- The Bison average 34.6 rebounds per game, which ranks 180th in the nation. The Mastodons rank 187th in rebounds allowed per game (35.8).
- Fort Wayne ranks 12th in steals per game (8.5) while North Dakota State ranks 185th (4.6).
- The Mastodons rank 14th in three pointers attempted per game (27.9) while the Bison rank 125th (24.3).
- Fort Wayne ranks 17th in blocks allowed per game (2.4) while North Dakota State ranks 47th (2.6).
Betting Trends:
- The Bison’s average margin of victory in their last five games has been 1.4, down from 4.9 for the season.
- During their last five games, the Mastodons have scored an average of 84.0 points per game (2.2 above their season average) and allowed an average of 77.6 points per game (2.2 above their season average).
