Once Upon A Time In Las Vegas – Championship Sunday
North Dakota will be seeking just its second conference win of the season when it travels to North Dakota State on Friday night in a rivalry matchup. The Fighting Hawks have lost eight of their nine games in Summit League play. North Dakota State notched a 71-49 win as a 1-point road favorite on Dec. 30 in the first meeting between these teams.
North Dakota got off to a strong start to the season in non-conference play, winning five of its first eight games. The Fighting Hawks lost their final four non-conference games against Division I teams, though, and that rough stretch has carried over into conference play. They have lost eight of their nine Summit League games, with the lone win coming against Kansas City last Thursday. North Dakota has lost a pair of games by 12 points since that win, falling to Oral Roberts and Western Illinois. The Fighting Hawks were 13.5-point underdogs against Oral Roberts and were 6.5-point underdogs against Western Illinois.
After playing last season at @CampCochiseMBB, @TrentJalun joined @UNDmbasketball as a point guard this summer. He uses the game of chess to help him grow mentally on the court. Learn more about the Baltimore, MD native.#MidcoSports | #LGH | #UNDproud | @UofNorthDakota pic.twitter.com/tQlKbe6K46
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They have not been a good offensive team this season, ranked No. 295 in KenPom’s adjusted offensive efficiency ratings. North Dakota ranks outside the top 200 in effective field goal percentage (49.3) and offensive rebounding rate. The Fighting Hawks are shooting just 67.3% from the charity stripe. They are facing a North Dakota State defense that is No. 16 nationally in rebounding, but it is No. 360 in turnover rate and No. 289 in defensive field goal percentage. Freshman forward B.J. Omot leads North Dakota with 11.3 points and 3.1 rebounds per game, while junior guard Matt Norman is adding 9.6 points.