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The Denver Pioneers take on the South Dakota State Jackrabbits. Check out our Summit League championship odds series for our Denver South Dakota State prediction and pick. Find how to watch Denver South Dakota State.
The movie theme for Championship Week and the lead-in to the NCAA Tournament could be “Seven,” the film starring Brad Pitt and Morgan Freeman. Why would we mention that? It's because, if you haven't noticed, No. 7 seeds are running wild and doing a ton of damage in conference tournament brackets. Seventh-seeded East Tennessee State reached the Southern Conference Tournament final and narrowly lost to eventual champion Samford. Seventh-seeded Stony Brook has stormed to the CAA final to face Charleston. No. 7 seed Cleveland State upset No. 2 seed Youngstown State in the Horizon League quarterfinals and very nearly beat top-seeded Oakland in the semifinals on Monday night. Now comes another No. 7 seed trying to win a conference tournament: the Denver Pioneers.
The Pios have never reached the NCAA Tournament in their history, but now Denver is one win away. The Pios beat Nebrsaka-Omaha on Monday night in the semifinals after upsetting No. 2 seed Missouri-Kansas City over the weekend.
South Dakota State isn't just a No. 1 seed at the Summit League Tournament. More than that, the Jackrabbits have been the dominant program in the league, winning their sixth regular-season championship in the past seven seasons this year. The Jackrabbits won the Summit League Tournament as recently as 2022, but they're always in the mix and are used to being the target of every other team in the conference. They have established the gold standard, and they have responded to all challenges this season, with only one left. South Dakota State defeated a good St. Thomas (Minnesota) team on Monday night in the semifinals. St. Thomas gave Marquette, one of the better teams in the Big East, a very strong challenge earlier this season. The Tommies have real talent. South Dakota State was able to fend them off by 10 points, a sign that this team is ready to once again make its way to the NCAA Tournament.
Here are the Denver-South Dakota State Summit League Championship odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
Summit League Championship Odds: Denver-South Dakota State Odds
Denver Pioneers: +8.5 (-110)
South Dakota State Jackrabbits: -8.5 (-110)
Over: 163.5 (-110)
Under: 163.5 (-110)
How To Watch Denver vs South Dakota State
Time: 9:30 pm ET / 6:30 pm PT
TV: CBS Sports Network
Stream: fuboTV (click for a free trial)*
Why Denver Could Cover the Spread
The Pioneers are barely over .500 for the season. Know how much that matters right now? Practically not at all. Denver is playing its best basketball at just the right time. More than that, Denver has won two extremely close games, making clutch plays in huge moments. All the belief in the world resides with this team right now. It totally trusts itself in a way it has never done before. The hunger to make the first NCAA Tournament in school history will drive this team through 40 minutes. The legs might be an issue in the second half, but adrenaline is a powerful thing. It has carried a lot of underdogs and Cinderellas to unlikely conference tournament championships in past months of March, and it can do so again. We're seeing so many upsets in conference tournaments; Denver could pull off another one, but even if it doesn't, the game should certainly be close enough for the Pios to cover the spread.
Why South Dakota State Could Cover the Spread
The Jackrabbits look like a team which is upset-proof. They didn't just beat a legitimately good St. Thomas team in the Summit League semifinals; they won by 10, and they held the Tommies to just 49 points. They played lights-out defense. If the Jackrabbits play that level of defense against Denver, they will win by at least 10, probably a good bit more. That would cover the spread.
Final Denver-South Dakota State Prediction & Pick
Denver making its first NCAA Tournament would be an amazing story, but South Dakota State has been here before and knows how to get the job done. Take SDSU.
Final Denver-South Dakota State Prediction & Pick: South Dakota State -8.5
