2013 NCAA Tournament: Saint Mary’s Defeats MTSU 67-54

Brian Spurlock – USA TODAY Sports

The first night of action has concluded in the 2013 NCAA tournament, with Saint Mary’s picking up the victory in the nightcap over Middle Tennessee, 67-54.

The Gaels will now be the 11th seed in the Midwest region and will travel to Auburn Hills on Thursday to take on the Memphis Tigers.

It certainly wasn’t the prettiest game in NCAA tournament history, but it did showcase a player that we’ve been accustomed to seeing at Saint Mary’s over the last several years. Matthew Dellavedova led the way for the Gaels, scoring 22 points on 7-of-14 shooting from the field. Stephen Holt added 18 and Beau Levesque came off the bench and chipped in 13.

Marcos Knight led the Blue Raiders with 16 points.

MTSU was the last team to get into this field, and there were a lot of critics that thought they shouldn’t get in. They didn’t do a lot to dispute that tonight, but you have to keep in mind that Saint Marys’ played very well. They didn’t allow MTSU to do things that they like to do. Every basket was difficult and they struggled to slow down Dellavedova.

If Saint Mary’s can shoot the ball well and manage to keep Memphis away from the basket, they can without question pull the upset on Thursday.

Personally, I think Memphis is underrated as a six-seed. But that doesn’t mean that they can’t lose to a team like Saint Mary’s, especially considering how well they shoot it. I’m still taking Memphis though.

The 6/11 matchup always offers up plenty of intrigue, so be sure to tune in for what should be a good game from start to finish. Tip-off is at 2:45 PM ET on Thursday.