Providence vs. South Dakota State prediction, odds, spread: Proven model reveals picks for March 17, 2022

Thu, Mar 17, 2022
NCAAB News (AP)

Teams with long March Madness droughts will collide on Thursday when the No. 4 seed Providence Friars and No. 13 seed South Dakota State Jackrabbits meet in a Midwest Region first round game in the 2022 NCAA Tournament at the KeyBank Center in Buffalo, N.Y. The Friars (25-5), who won the program's first Big East regular season title, have not won a NCAA Tournament game since 2016. The Jackrabbits' drought is even longer; South Dakota State (28-4) has never won a NCAA Tournament game and is 0-5 in the tournament all-time.

Tipoff is set for 12:40 p.m. ET. The Friars are favored by two points in the latest Providence vs. South Dakota State odds from Caesars Sportsbook, while the over-under for total points scored is 148. Before making any South Dakota State vs. Providence picks, be sure to check out the college basketball predictions and betting advice from Spotrac's proven computer model.

The Spotrac Projection Model simulates every Division I college basketball game 10,000 times. Over the past five-plus years, the proprietary computer model has generated an impressive profit of almost $1,500 for $100 players on its top-rated college basketball picks against the spread. Anyone who has followed it has seen huge returns.

Now, the model has set its sights on Providence vs. South Dakota State and revealed its coveted picks and predictions for the NCAA Tournament 2022. You can head to Spotrac to see all of the model's college basketball picks. Here are several college basketball odds and trends for South Dakota State vs. Providence:

Providence vs. South Dakota State spread: Providence -2
Providence vs. South Dakota State over-under: 148 points
Providence vs. South Dakota State money line: Friars -135, Jackrabbits +115
PROV: Nate Watson leads the team in scoring (13.8 points per game) and field-goal percentage (55.8).
SDST: The Jackrabbits lead the nation in 3-point field goal percentage (44.9).

Providence has one of the most experienced rosters in college basketball. The Friars' top seven players -- Nate Watson (153 games), Noah Horchler (117), Al Durham (151), A.J. Reeves (104), Jared Bynum (76), Justin Minaya (108) and Ed Croswell (113) -- have combined to play 822 collegiate games. The average age of the team's top seven players is 23.0.

In addition, Providence has a force in the middle in Watson. A 6-foot-10 graduate from Portsmouth, Va., Watson leads the team in scoring (13.8 points per game) and field-goal percentage (55.8). His 55.8 percent shooting from the floor ranks second in the Big East. For his efforts this season, he was named to the all-conference second team.

South Dakota State is the best 3-point shooting team in the country. The Jackrabbits lead the nation in 3-point field goal percentage (44.9) and make 9.4 3-pointers per game. Baylor Scheierman leads the team and ranks second in the Summit League with 80 threes this season.

In addition, Douglas Wilson is on a roll. In the Summit League Tournament, the 6-foot-7 senior from Des Moines, Iowa, averaged 21.3 points -- while shooting 55.8 percent from the field -- and 8.7 rebounds a game. For his efforts he was named the Summit League Tournament MVP.

Spotrac's model is leaning over on the point total, projecting the teams to combine for 153 points. The model also says one side of the spread hits almost 60 percent of the time. You can only see the model's pick at Spotrac.

So who wins Providence vs. South Dakota State? And which side of the spread hits almost 60 percent of the time? Visit Spotrac now to find out which side of the spread you need to jump on, all from the model that has crushed its college basketball picks, and find out.