2017 NCAA Tournament: North Carolina Central vs UC Davis preview, prediction, TV schedule
By Connor Hope
Wednesday’s 2017 NCAA Tournament First Four slate in Dayton opens with a game between North Carolina Central and UC Davis.
TV Schedule: Wednesday, Mar. 15, 6:40 p.m. ET, TruTV
Arena: UD Arena, Dayton, OH
Prediction: NC Central 73, UC Davis 66
The NC Central Eagles take on the UC Davis Aggies in a First Four bout to earn a 16-seed and a game against the Kansas Jayhawks.
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The Eagles earned an automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament after going 25-8, with a MEAC best 13-3 conference record. NC Central then breezed through their conference tournament winning by an average margin of 23.7 points. The Eagles also had a 1-1 record against RPI top-100 teams, earning an impressive road win over Northern Kentucky.
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The UC Davis Aggies earned their conference’s automatic bid by beating the UC Irvine Anteaters in the Big West Championship. The Aggies finished the season at 20-12, with a second place 11-5 record in the Big West.
When comparing these two teams, North Carolina Central becomes the clear favorite to advance to the first round.
While Jim Les’ team has had an impressive end of season run, they do not have the skill to compete with the Eagles. In fact, NC Central ranks higher than UC Davis in offense, defense, rebounds, and assists.
NC Central is led by senior guard Patrick Cole, who averages 19.5 points, 5.7 assists, and 7.0 rebounds per game. UC Davis must contain Cole to have a shot at winning this game, and I do not see that happening.
On the other side, the Eagles will have to key in on Aggies’ forward Chima Moneke and guard Brynton Lemar. Moneke anchors UC Davis’ defense with 9.4 rebounds and 1.5 blocks per game. He and Lemar are the two leading scorers for the Aggies, providing 14.4 and 16.1 per game respectively.
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This will be a close game until the home stretch, during which Cole, and fellow senior guard Dajuan Graf, will take over. The Eagles should cruise to a first round game against Kansas, which will likely be the end of the line.