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March Madness: First Four Game Previews
The time is finally here! After a whole year without post-season college basketball, at last, it’s time for March Madness: First Four Game Previews! As per usual, the tournament starts with 4 play-in games, otherwise known as the “First Four”. These teams are on the outside looking in, and the team that wins gets entered into the tournament. The NCAA Tournament First Four kicks off with Texas Southern playing against Mt. St. Mary’s for the 16th seed in the East region of the March Madness bracket. The winner of this game will take on #1 Michigan.
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March Madness: First Four Game Previews – TEXAS STATE VS MOUNT SAINT MARY’S
Texas Southern (16-8; 10-3 SWAC) takes on Mt. St. Mary’s (12-10; 9-7 NEC) Thursday, March 18th at 5:10 pm on truTV
Texas Southern is coming into this contest scorching hot. The Tigers have won their last 9 games, which includes an impressive 19-point blowout victory in the SWAC Championship game against Prairie View A&M. TXSO, is lead by senior guard, Michael Weathers, who averages 16.5 PPG and 5 REB/G. Weathers had a great SWAC Championship tournament performance, including a 30 point barrage in the semi-finals. Weathers is not the only potent scorer on the team, as junior forward Joirdon Karl Nicholas averages 11 PPG along with 7 REB/G. Nicholas also had a great tournament run, upping his average to 18 PPG in the 3 game stretch. It is safe to say that he only gets better, as the stakes get higher.
After a rough start to the season, Mount St. Mary’s finally found their groove when it really mattered. The Mountaineers are on a 4 game win streak, which includes their NEC Championship tournament wins. The bulk of the Mountaineers’ points come from their two elite scorers, Damian Chong Qui, who averages 15PPG, and Jalen Gibbs, who drops in 16.5 PPG. Gibbs is one of the better 3pt shooters in the country, shooting 3’s at an impressive 42% clip. St. Mary’s doesn’t just look to their elite scorers for points, as they have a plethora of role players that are more than capable of getting the job done.
This matchup is a classic offense vs defense contest. TXSO is ranked 87th in all of D1 for PPG, scoring a stellar 75 PPG. They have a very potent offense that can drop big numbers if they catch fire early. MTSM is ranked very close to last, in terms of PPG, averaging a mere 63.7. That may raise questions as to how they are even apart of this tournament, but simply put, their offense isn’t what got them here.
The Mountaineers have a top 15 defense in the country, only allowing a more than impressive, 62.3 PPG. This matchup will be an interesting one, as TXSO trumps MTSM in almost every statistical category. Texas Southern will look to their myriad of scorers to try and keep up with Mount St. Mary’s top-tier defense.
The Mountaineers have to play perfect defense and rebound very well, as the Tigers are top 5 in REB/G, to stop the high-powered offense of TXSO. The winner of this game will be determined by the team that can impose their prowess the most effectively, once again coming down to elite offense against world-class defense.
Betting Odds:
Texas Southern -1
Mt. St. Mary’s +1
O/U 132
Betting Trends:
Texas Southern (12-10-1 ATS)
*TXSO is 4-0 ATS in last 4 games overall
*TXSO is 6-1 ATS in last 7 neutral site games as a favorite
*Over is 7-1-1 ATS in TXSO last 9 neutral site games
Mount Saint Mary’s (11-10 ATS)
*MTSM is 4-0 ATS in last 4 games overall
*MTSM is 4-0 in last 4 following an ATS win
*MTSM Over is 7-1 in last 8 neutral site games
March Madness: First Four Game Previews – DRAKE VS WICHITA STATE
The Drake Bulldogs (25-4; 15-3 MVC) take on Wichita State (16-5; 11-2 AAC) on Thursday, March 18th at 6:30 pm on TBS
The Drake Bulldogs were undefeated for about 2 months to start the season, compiling an unbelievable 18-0 record along the way. Since their first loss came, they cooled down a little, going 7-4 the rest of the season. Drake fell short of winning the MVC Championship, as they lost a tough one to Loyola Chicago, who is the #8 seed in the Midwest region of the bracket.
Drake has an abundance of scorers on their team that contribute to their success. They have 5 players that average more than 10 points per game; Shanquan Hemphill (14.1 PPG), Joseph Yesufu (12.1 PPG), Roman Penn (11.2 PPG), D.J. Wilkins (10.6 PPG), and Tremell Murphy (10.2 PPG). The Bulldogs have tremendous offensive firepower which helps them spread the ball around and allows them to get a bucket through more than just one or two players. Drake also has another low-key weapon in their, very, big man Darnell Brodie, who stands at 6’10 275lbs.
Wichita State has been through a lot this year, as they have had a ton of games postponed/canceled throughout the season. That didn’t stop them from being one of the best teams in the country and having the best record in their conference. The Shockers finally lost, after an 8-game win streak, in the semi-final of the AAC Tournament last week.
Wichita State is led by their sophomore guard, Tyson Etienne, who is a very dynamic scorer. Etienne averages a solid 17 PPG while shooting an impressive 40% from beyond the arc. He is an elite scorer who can get a bucket from anywhere on the court, also having the ability to hit clutch shots down the stretch. Etienne is definitely someone to look out for in this game. The Shockers look to use their other role players as well, Dexter Dennis who averages 9.5 PPG, and Morris Udeze who averages 10 PPG, are among them. They provide some offensive relief if Etienne isn’t doing well or if he’s sitting.
Drake has one of the most efficient offenses in college basketball, as they rank 47th in PPG and 13th in FG% in all of D1. Their plethora of scorers not only put up big numbers but score very efficiently, making 49.5% of their field goals. If the offensive firepower isn’t enough, the Bulldogs are also top 50 in defense, allowing only 64.7 PPG.
The Shockers are at a disadvantage in statistics, mainly due to them playing around 10 fewer games than Drake. Even so, Wichita State still ranks top 100 in defense, allowing 67.5 PPG, but are middle of the pack in the offense, averaging 72.5 PPG.
The Shockers will have to play their brand of basketball, which is getting their best scorers going early. A big advantage they should look to exploit is their rebounding, where they rank 29th in the country. They are a bit longer than the Bulldogs, so they stand a chance of competing in this game if they play to their strengths.
Drake will be without 2 of their best scorers, Penn and Hemphill, so they will have to move the ball around and spread out the offense to stretch out Wichita State and get their offense running smoothly as a team. This matchup will be an interesting one, expect it to be very close. The winner of this game will be inserted as the #11 seed in the West region, where they face USC.
Betting Odds:
Wichita State -1.5
Drake +1.5
O/U 141
Betting Trends:
Wichita St. (9-9-1 ATS)
*WICH is 0-3-1 ATS in their last 4 NCAA Tournament games
*WICH Under is 6-0 in the last 6 NCAA Tournament games
*WICH Under is 5-0 in the last 5 NCAA Tournament game as a favorite
Drake (20-6-1 ATS)
*Drake is 7-0 ATS in their last 7 Thursday games
*Drake is 6-3-1 in last 10 games overall
*Drake Over is 6-1 in last 7 overall
March Madness: First Four Game Previews – APPALACHIAN STATE VS NORFOLK STATE
Appalachian State (17-11; 7-8 Sun Belt) matches up with Norfolk State (16-7; 8-4 MEAC) on Thursday, March 18th at 8:40pm on truTV
The Mountaineers of Appalachian State come into this contest on a 4-game win-streak, all of which came in their run to become Sun Belt Conference tournament champions. App. State is another one of those teams that can get buckets from anyone in their lineup, as 4 players average over 10 PPG.
Three players, Adrian Delph, Justin Forrest, and Michael Almonacy, all average 13 PPG, so the Mountaineers don’t have to depend on one player to give them consistent scoring. These 3 can go off at any time. Just take the Sun Belt Conference Championship game as a reference, Almonacy scored 32 and Delph dropped 22. This trio is very dangerous, and it will be hard for any team to contain all of them.
The Spartans head into the tournament going an impressive 8-2 in their last 10 games. Just like Appalachian State, they are coming off a conference championship win themselves. This high-powered offense is lead by veteran senior guard, Devante Carter. Carter is their do it all guy, as he averages 15.5 PPG 5.3 REB/G, and 4 AST. This is the go-to guy for the Spartans, but by all means, do not overlook the rest of their roster.
Norfolk State has 8 total players that average over 5 PPG. Now that may not seem like a lot, but it sure shows the true depth that the Spartans have. In a win or go home setting, having depth is certainly something that you need to make a run at a championship.
As we’ve seen time and time again, this is another matchup of elite offense against top-tier defense. Appalachian State is ranked in the Top 40 defenses in the country. They allow a mere 64.5 PPG, almost 4 whole points lower than Norfolk State’s 69.2 PPG. The Spartans may not have the best defense out there, but their offense is where they shine. They round up 75.2 PPG, which is among the Top 80 offenses in the country.
App. State will have to look to limit the depth of Norfolk State, so they’re going to have to strap up on defense all game long, as the Spartans have scorers all the way down their bench. Solid defense and limiting transition buckets is a gameplan the Mountaineers should look to follow.
On the flip-side, The Spartans have to push through that stingy defense by way of using the deep bench scoring to their advantage. Switching in different rotations to keep that Mountaineers defense on their toes, is a way Norfolk State can play to their strengths. Nonetheless, this will be another game that will be a fun one to watch.
Betting Odds:
Appalachian State -3
Norfolk State +3
O/U 134.5
Betting Trends:
Appalachian State (14-9-1 ATS)
*APPST is 4-0 ATS in last 4 games overall
*APPST is 5-0 ATS in last 5 neutral site games
*APPST Under is 4-0 in last 4 games as a favorite
Norfolk State (12-8-1 ATS)
*NORF is 5-0 ATS in last 5 games overall
*NORF is 4-0 ATS in last 4 games against a team with a winning record
*NORF Under is 4-0 in last for games following an ATS win
March Madness: First Four Game Previews – UCLA VS MICHIGAN STATE
UCLA (17-9; 13-6 PAC-12) is matched up with Michigan State (15-12; 9-11 BIG 10). The winner of this game will be the #11 seed in the west region, taking on #6 USC. This game will be on Thursday, March 18th at 10pm on TBS
The UCLA Bruins have been one of the best teams in their conference all year but lost in the first round of the PAC-12 tournament to Oregon State, who went on to win it all.
The Bruins rely heavily on their starting lineup, as they all average over 10 PPG. Their top scorer is 6’6 sophomore guard, Johnny Juzang, who drops in 14 PPG. UCLA looks to turn around their recent woes, as they come into this contest losing 4 straight. Despite this losing skid, the Bruins are tough to stop when they’re playing at their best, as they hold solid wins over fellow PAC-12 rivals, Arizona and Colorado. UCLA will look to change things around and secure their spot in the NCAA tournament.
Michigan State had a rocky season, as they took a hard fall off after starting the season 6-0, including a victory over #6 Duke. The Spartans lost 7 out of 9 in the middle of the season, which hurt their chances of getting a good BIG 10 and NCAA tournament seed. There was a point where experts didn’t think they would see the Spartans in the post-season, but they had other plans. Michigan State picked it up when it mattered and went on a nice run to end the season. They grabbed a huge win when they defeated #2 Michigan to end the regular season.
The Spartans look to their top guy, junior forward, Aaron Henry to give them consistent offensive production. Henry averages 15.3 PPG and puts up solid rebounding numbers at 5.7 REB/G. Michigan State also looks to their role players, Joey Hauser and Joshua Langford who both average 9 PPG, to help Henry out. They also have sharpshooter Gabe Brown, who converts on 43% of his 3pt attempts If Michigan State can play as well as they have been, they will be very hard to stop.
UCLA is middle of the pack when it comes to offense and defense, as they score 72.8 PPG and allow 68.5 PPG. The one thing that helps the Bruins win games is their ability to take care of the ball and limit turnovers. This is something that is underlooked, as many teams give up buckets in transition that can change the whole tide of the game.
Michigan State is actually statistically mediocre in terms of offensive and defensive numbers. They have a bottom-tier offense, as they rank 237th in the country at 69 PPG. Their defense isn’t much better either, allowing 70.6 PPG. Although these numbers may be lackluster, the one thing the Spartans do at a high level is sharing the ball. Michigan State is top 30 in the country when it comes to assists, averaging 16 AST.
As neither of these teams has numbers that stand out, that is all the more reason that this will be a close contest to watch. Both teams can pass and take care of the ball well. Expect this to be a great display of technical basketball, as it will come down to what coach can implement their gameplan better.
Betting Odds:
Michigan State -2
UCLA +2
O/U 135.5
Betting Trends:
Michigan State (9-18 ATS)
*MSU is 1-6 ATS in last 7 neutral site games
*MSU Under is 6-0 in last 6 games overall
*MSU Under is 5-0 in last 5 games as a favorite
UCLA (12-14 ATS)
*UCLA is 1-6 ATS in last 7 games following straight up loss
*UCLA Under is 4-1 in last 5 NCAA tournament games
*UCLA is 1-4 ATS in last 5 NCAA tournament games
Thank you for reading my March Madness: First Four Game Previews! It’s been almost two years since we got to see post-season college basketball. March Madness is one of the biggest sports events every year and it’s almost bittersweet to finally have it back. We have to wait till Friday for the actual tournament to start, but we get a small taste of it this Thursday with the “First Four” games. These are all very intriguing matchups and they’re all must-watch games!
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