2013 College Basketball Picks: Summit League Tournamant Odds, Free Picks and Predictions – Summit League Tournament Schedule and Tournament Bracket: In some ways it is unfortunate that only one team from the Summit League will make it to the NCAA Tournament. The conference was very competitive throughout the regular season with the title being decided via a tiebreaker and four teams finishing within three games of each other. More importantly, the conference has a couple of star-caliber players both on offense and defense that could shine on the national stage if given a chance. That being said, the bottom line is that only the team that wins the Summit League Tournament is going to get the chance to show their stuff in the NCAA Tournament, and here is a closer look at the teams with the best chance to do just that.
2013 Summit League Tournament Odds, Free Picks and Predictions
The Contenders
It came down to a tiebreaker, but the South Dakota State Jackrabbits (22-9, 13-3 Summit) came away with the Summit League regular season crown. The Jackrabbits are led by a high-powered offense that led the conference and ranked in the top 35 nationally with 74.2 points per game. Five players average at least nine points per game, including guard Nate Wolters. The senior is a star on the national level, averaging 22.8 points, 5.7 rebounds, 5.7 assists and 1.7 steals. On the other hand, South Dakota State’s defense isn’t anything special, but the Jackrabbits have an explosive offense led by an explosive scorer.
They came out in the losing end of the tiebreaker for the regular season title, but the Western Illinois Leathernecks (21-7, 13-3 Summit) can still win the title that matters most. The Leathernecks take a very conservative approach on the offensive end and average just 60.0 points per game. However, they do take quality shots and actually rank in the top 30 nationally in field goal percentage. Meanwhile, Western Illinois’ defense led the conference, allowing just 52.6 points per game. Big man Terrel Parks is a big part of what the Leathernecks do on both ends of the court, leading the team with 12.7 points on 56.9 percent shooting to go along with 2.5 blocks per game.
Although the North Dakota State Bison (22-8, 12-4 Summit) finished one game back in the regular season standings, they played a portion of the year without their leading scorer. Well, guard Taylor Braun is back just in time for the Summit League Tournament, and his 14.8 points per game will be a major plus for a NDSU team that relies mainly on its defense. The Bison are allowing just 55.4 points per game, and there modest but efficient offense plays to their defensive mentality. North Dakota State ranks 32nd in the country in field goal percentage, and the Bison have no problem winning ugly, low-scoring games.
Perhaps the biggest wild card in the Summit League Tournament are the Oakland Grizzlies (16-15, 10-6 Summit). They are playing well right now and won eight of their last 10 games leading up to the conference tournament. During the stretch, the Grizzlies knocked off all three teams that finished ahead of them in the final regular season standings. Oakland also owns the conference’s second-best offense, averaging 73.7 points per game. Guard Travis Bader leads the attack, averaging 22.0 points per game. The junior has knocked down 131 3-pointers thus far, and he and the Grizzlies could get hot from the field and overcome their porous defense.
Bottom Line
While Bader and the Grizzlies are more than capable of getting hot and causing some issues, Wolters and the Jackrabbits are going to ultimately prevail. For one, Wolters gives South Dakota State the best player on the court no matter the opponent, and he has already shown that he can elevate the Jackrabbits to another level as evidenced by the team’s win over a ranked New Mexico team earlier this year. More importantly, SDSU has the best balance on both ends of the court of any team in Summit League, and they went 4-2 against the three teams that finished behind them in the regular season. The two losses came by three and five points on the road, and since the Summit League Tournament will be in South Dakota, the Jackrabbits are in the driver’s seat.
Prediction: South Dakota State Jackrabbits Win the Summit League Tournament
2013 Summit League Tournament Schedule
Opening Round, March 9:
No. 1 South Dakota State vs No. 8 IUPUI, 6 PM
No. 2 Western Illinois vs No. 7 South Dakota, 8: 30 PM
All games on Midco Sports Net/Fox Sports Net
Second Round, March 10:
No. 4 Oakland vs No. 5 IPFW, 6 PM
No. 3 North Dakota State vs No. 6 UMKC, 8:30 PM
All games on Midco Sports Net/Fox Sports Net
Semifinals, March 11:
South Dakota St./IUPUI vs Oakland/IPFW
Western Illinois/South Dakota vs North Dakota St/UMKC
All games on Midco Sports Net/Fox Sports Net
Championship, March 12, ESPN2, 8 PM
All times Central
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