Just for fun, it's time to pick the first four play-in games... All games televised on TRU-TV.
I've got, in no particular order:
-o- Long Island University-Brooklyn Blackbirds (18-16) versus Radford Highlanders (22-12)
The current Las Vegas line has Radford by 5.5 points. The game is in Dayton. Geography is likely not a factor as one teams travels from Brooklyn, NY and the other from Virginia. Neither team was favored to be here, as both teams won their conference bids via final game upsets. LIU is the physically bigger team. Radford is a defensive team, outstanding on the offensive boards, living on the put-back. Tough game for me to gauge. As I see it, a close game goes to the Highlanders based on defensive effort. A blowout would seem to favor the B-Birds. My pick is Radford, 53-51.
-o- Texas Southern Tigers (15-19) versus North Carolina Central Eagles (19-15)
The current line is NCCU by 5.5 points. Again, the game is in Dayton, so no geographic advantages. Again, both teams are here by winning their conference bids in upset fashion. In last year's March Madness, Texas Southern made some pre-game hype, but eventually lost. This year, they started off 0-13 by playing all of their non-conference games on the road against much larger, more talented schools in an effort to improve their game by playing better teams and disregarding the won/lost record. The Tigers are the only team in the tournament with a losing record. Texas Southern is a fast break type of team and likes to score quickly, with high scoring games. The Eagles prefer a slower paced defensive game. Both teams will try to dictate the game style. Both schools play in traditionally black school conferences. I'm going with Texas Southern in an upset, 84-77.
-o- Saint Bonaventure Bonnies (25-7) versus University of California-Los Angeles Bruins (21-11)
The current line is UCLA by 3 points. The game is in Dayton, so a very slight geographic advantage to the Bonnies. Both teams are here in at-large bids. UCLA is largely a one man show (junior guard Aaron Holiday) with almost no consistent offensive supporting cast, but good rebounding by their senior center. I'm most familiar with PAC12 teams, and this year's UCLA team is nowhere near any of their prior year's teams. However, they are a major conference team, with a major conference team schedule and fared well in the conference this year (second place). UCLA wins by outscoring their opponents in wide open, no defense games. Defense is not their strong point this year. St. Bonaventure gets the nod for the better defensive effort and a very adequate offense. I hate to pick against the Bruins, as I always like the bigger conference school against a smaller conference team, but the Bonnies just look to be way more than merely ready for this game. My pick is St. Bonaventure in the upset, 85-83.
-0- Syracuse Orange (20-13) versus Arizona State Sun Devils (20-11)
The current line is Arizona State by 1.5 points. The game is in Dayton, so a very slight geographic advantage for Syracuse. Both teams are here via at-large bids, and these were among the final bids awarded to this year's dance. Both teams have been widely criticized for getting bids, perhaps undeservedly so. The Sun Devils are the only team in the tournament to have beaten 2 #1 seeds this year (Kansas and Xavier), both victories on the road. The Sun Devils are also the only team this year to have an undefeated non-conference schedule. The Sun Devils are also the lowest seeded team to have a high early season ranking (#3 in the nation at one point). But then conference play began, and Arizona State stuck their heads in an oven and turned on the gas. They had an absolutely abysmal conference record. On the other hand, Syracuse was no better, having lost countless games they should have won, and playing well under extremely lowered expectations for the entire year. This game appears to be the best of the four play-in games, and perhaps the most evenly matched. Arizona State is by far the higher scoring of the two teams and should easily win the game. However, like Syracuse, they have a recent nasty habit which is playing down to the level of their competition. With the won/lost slate now wiped clean for the big dance, I expect the Sun Devils to return to their earlier form and make some noise in the tournament. My pick is Arizona State, 81-69.
EK!!! |
