Looking to win big? The Pioneers and Coyotes face off at 8:00 ET on Summ. The Coyotes are hosting the game at Sanford Coyote Sports Center in Vermillion, SD. Denver come into this Summit conference matchup as the -3.5 favorite. The over/under line currently sits at 161.5 points.

DENVER PIONEERS VS SOUTH DAKOTA COYOTES BETTING PICK

The Pick: South Dakota Coyotes +3.5

This game will be played at Sanford Coyote Sports Center at 8:00 ET on Thursday, February 8th.

WHY BET THE SOUTH DAKOTA COYOTES:

  • We have this one finishing with a projected score of 75-69 in favor of the Coyotes.
  • Not only will South Dakota pick up the win, but look for them to cover at +3.5.
  • The over/under is currently sitting at 161.5 points, and we like the under with a projected 144 points.

Can the Pioneers Deliver Being Favored on the Road?

Denver enters this game as the favorite, with a point spread of -3.5. The Pioneers have gone 5-2 this season when favored, compared to 4-9 as the underdog. They have a 13-11 overall record, including a 4-5 mark in Summit League play.

So far, Denver has gone 5-9 on the road, and they come into this one on a three-game losing streak away from home. Over their last 10 road games, the Pioneers have gone 4-6.

Denver’s ATS mark for the season is just under .500 at 9-10-1. As the favorite, the Pioneers have gone 3-4 vs. the spread this year. On the road, their ATS record is 6-7-1, and over their last three road games, they are 0-3 vs. the spread.

The over/under record for Denver this season is 15-5 and the average scoring total in their games is 166.4 points. Today’s over/under line of 161.5 points is lower than the average OU line in their games this year (155.3). Over their last three games, the over/under record is 2-1 and the average scoring total is 159 points.

The Denver offense is coming off a game where they scored 76 points against Oral Roberts. They posted a field goal percentage of 40.3% and connected on 13 threes. Leading Denver in scoring vs. Oral Roberts was Tommy Bruner with his 22 points. Jaxon Brenchley also added 20 points for the Pioneers.

Coming into today’s game, the Denver defense is giving up an average of 80.9 points per contest. Against Oral Roberts in their most recent game, the Denver defense gave up a total of 82 points while allowing Oral Roberts to hit 53% of their shots.

Will South Dakota Make it Happen at Home?

South Dakota will look to snap a five-game losing streak when they host Denver on Thursday. The Coyotes are 9-15 overall, including a 2-7 record in Summit League play. They have gone 2-6 at home this season.

As the underdog, South Dakota has gone 2-14 this year compared to 4-1 as the favorite. For the season, they have an average scoring margin of -8.6 points per game at home.

As the underdog this season, South Dakota’s ATS record is 6-10. At home, their ATS mark is 3-5, and over their last 10 games as the underdog, they are 4-6 vs. the spread.

Today’s over/under line of 161.5 is higher than the average over/under line in South Dakota’s games this season (149.5). This year, their over/under record is 10-11. Over their last three games, their games have finished with an average of 150 points compared to their season average of 154 points.

Coming off their recent game, the South Dakota offense tallied 67 points in a matchup against South Dakota State. Their field goal percentage for the game was 45.8%, and they made 8 threes. In terms of offense, the Coyotes have a season-long field goal percentage of 44%, putting them 216th in the NCAA. Regarding three-pointers, they are ranked 71st in percentage and 157th in three-pointers made.

Facing Denver, South Dakota aims for a better defensive performance, given their current average of 78.2 points allowed per game (293rd). In today’s game vs. Denver, the South Dakota defense will be looking to do a better job avoiding putting opponents on the line. In their last game, South Dakota made 17 free-throws vs. the Coyotes.