Getty NDSU guard Vinnie Shahid.
East Tennessee State (8-1) will look to maintain its scorching start to the season as they head to Scheels Arena on Saturday take on North Dakota State (5-4).
Heavy may earn an affiliate commission if you sign up via a link on this page
How to Watch ETSU vs North Dakota State
The game (1 p.m. ET start time) won’t be on TV anywhere, but you can watch it live on ESPN+
ESPN+ is the digital streaming service from ESPN that has exclusive coverage of over 1,500 college basketball games this season, plus other live sports every day, all the 30-for-30 documentaries and additional original content (both video and written) all for $4.99 per month.
Or, if you also want the new Disney+ streaming service and Hulu, you can get all three for $12.99 per month, which works out to 25 percent savings.
Get the ESPN+, Disney+ and Hulu Bundle
Once signed up for ESPN+, you can then watch ETSU vs North Dakota State live on your computer via ESPN.com, or on your phone (Android and iPhone compatible), tablet, Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV, Chromecast, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, or other streaming device via the ESPN app.
ETSU vs North Dakota State Preview
ETSU is hoping to frigid weather of North Dakota doesn’t slow down their hot start to the season. The Buccaneers are 8-1 this season, their lone loss coming to perennial powerhouse Kansas. And even in that loss to the Jayhawks, ETSU kept it respectable. They lost by 12 and were even with Kansas — now the No. 2 ranked team in the nation — in the second half.
“It’s a tough trip,” ETSU coach Steve Forbes told the Times New. “They’re good. It’s a team that went to the NCAA Tournament last year and they have the majority of their players back.”
The Buccaneers players are just hoping to stay warm.
“Coming out of high school, I always wanted to go somewhere far, but I never thought about going to North Dakota,” ETSU guard Tray Boyd said. “I am going to wear a big coat. I’ll tell you that. A big coat.
“It’s a business trip. As much as we would love it to be a vacation, it’s a business trip. So we’re just trying to go up there and get a W. We have to stay focused and we can’t let the cold get into our minds.”
North Dakota State has had a miserable start to the season shooting the ball. They’re 308th out of 350 teams in Division I, shooting a measly 40%.
“I’m really careful with it, especially careful on Dec. 6 because I don’t want to get too far in anybody’s head,” head coach Dave Richman told the Grand Forks Herald. “We’re built as a team that shoots the 3 and you look at the successes we had in January, February and March (last year) we made the 3s. This team is a very capable 3-point shooting team.”
Seniors Vinnie Shahid, Tyson Ward and Sam Griesel have collectively accounted for 48 percent of North Dakota State’s scoring this season. But the Bison are not happy about floating close to the .500 mark.
“No, 5-4 is not OK,” Richman said. “We’re disappointed in that standpoint, yet there’s a big picture perspective.
“Make no mistake, we have perspective and we have a plan and a vision where we’re going and are we going to keep working the plan? Absolutely.”
The Bison have lost three of their last four, including their last time out against Indiana State.
It’s just the second meeting between the programs. ETSU won the first matchup last year 79-61. ETSU is a 4.5-point favorite for the game.