Who's Playing

Pacific @ North Dakota State

Current Records: Pacific 0-1; North Dakota State 0-2

What to Know

The North Dakota State Bison will be returning home after a two-game road trip. They will take on the Pacific Tigers at 2 p.m. ET Sunday at Scheels Center. Both teams took a loss in their last game, so they'll have plenty of motivation to get the 'W.'

A win for the Bison just wasn't in the stars this past Thursday as the squad never even grasped a temporary lead. Things couldn't have gone much worse for them as they lost 82-59 to the Kansas Jayhawks. North Dakota State was surely aware of their 24-point disadvantage in the point spread, but the foreknowledge did nothing to prevent the result. One thing holding North Dakota State back was the mediocre play of forward Grant Nelson, who did not have his best game: he finished with 11 points on 3-for-10 shooting and turned the ball over five times in his 25 minutes on the court.

Meanwhile, Pacific came up short against the Stanford Cardinal last Monday, falling 88-78. Pacific's loss came about despite a quality game from Jordan Ivy-Curry, who had 23 points.

North Dakota State is the favorite in this one, with an expected 4.5-point margin of victory. They hadn't treated fans well this season, but they at least enjoy a 2-0 record against the spread.

The losses put North Dakota State at 0-2 and the Tigers at 0-1. A couple last-season stats to keep in the back of your head while watching: The Bison have only been able to knock down 35.10% percent of their shots, which is the third lowest field goal percentage in college basketball. Pacific experienced some struggles of their own as they have allowed their opponents to shoot 60.40% from the floor on average, which is the 361st highest shooting percentage allowed in college basketball. It's possible one of these Achilles' heels will wind up tripping the losing team up.

How To Watch

  • When: Sunday at 2 p.m. ET
  • Where: Scheels Center -- Fargo, North Dakota
  • Follow: CBS Sports App

Odds

The Bison are a 4.5-point favorite against the Tigers, according to the latest college basketball odds.

The oddsmakers were right in line with the betting community on this one, as the game opened as a 4.5-point spread, and stayed right there.

Over/Under: -108

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Series History

North Dakota State won the only game these two teams have played in the last eight years.

  • Dec 17, 2021 - North Dakota State 73 vs. Pacific 61