St. Thomas vs. South Dakota State Prediction, Odds and Key Players for Summit League Semifinal
By Reed Wallach
South Dakota State and St. Thomas meet on Monday night with a spot in the Summit League Tournament Finals on the line.
The two best offenses in the league face off on Monday night, but who has the edge? After South Dakota State won the first two meetings in the regular season by a combined six points, can St. Thomas even the score with the stakes at its highest?
Here’s our full betting preview for Monday’s semifinals:
New FanDuel users, get ready for March Madness by signing up below and getting $150 in bonus bets when you win your first bet of just $5! Get started now.
St. Thomas vs. South Dakota State Odds, Spread and Total
Spread
- St. Thomas: +2
- South Dakota State: -2
Moneyline
- St. Thomas: +115
- South Dakota State: -135
Total: 140.5 (Over -110/Under -110)
St. Thomas vs. South Dakota State Betting Trends
- St. Thomas is 8-0 against the spread (ATS) as an underdog this season
- St. Thomas is 18-11 ATS against Division 1 opponents this season
- St. Thomas has gone UNDER in 16 of 29 games against Division 1 opponents this season
St. Thomas vs. South Dakota State How to Watch
- Date: Monday, Match 11
- Game Time: 7:00 PM EST
- Venue: Sanford Center
- How to Watch (TV): Summit League Network
- St. Thomas Record: 20-12
- South Dakota State Record: 20-12
St. Thomas vs. South Dakota State Key Players to Watch
St. Thomas
Raheem Anthony: Anthony is a devastating floor spacer for the Tommies, shooting 45% from beyond the arc this season and 51% in Summit play! Anthony has scored a combined 34 points in the two meetings against the Jackrabbits.
South Dakota State
Zeke Mayo: The junior guard does it all for SDSU, averaging 19 points per game with nearly six rebounds and about four assists. He is a 36% 3-point shooter and has scored at least 23 points in each game – both wins. Can Mayo punch the team’s ticket to the Summit Finals on Monday night?
St. Thomas vs. South Dakota State Prediction and Pick
These two teams look similar on paper, both bolstered by incredibly efficient offenses that do a good job of cleaning the glass off of misses and out-pace the opposing defense.
In an offensive-centric league, these two stand out from the rest, the top two teams in effective field goal percentage. However, I believe South Dakota State has a few schematic edges that St. Thomas can overcome.
The Tommies defense can’t stop anyone inside, allowing teams to shoot nearly 63% at the rim this season, per Haslametrics, which is 330th in the country. Against the likes of Mayo and this SDSU offense that is 79th in field goal percentage at the rim, this can be tough sledding for St. Thomas, who typically plays a half-court style of basketball, ranking 352nd in adjusted tempo, per KenPom. In the second meeting, SDSU shot 70% on two’s.
Given the team’s propensity to play slow, I believe the team can run into a math problem against South Dakota State, who can shut down the Tommies elite interior offense, allowing the lowest two-point field goal percentage in the conference.
SDSU won the first two meetings, albeit competitive ones. But considering it’s a one possession spread, I’ll take the Jackrabbits to advance.
PICK: South Dakota State -2
Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.
Track Reed's bets here!