South Dakota State is one of the popular picks to pull off an upset in the Round of 64. Can they defeat the Providence Friars?
TV schedule: Thursday, March 17th, 12:40 pm ET. TruTV
Arena: KeyBank Center in Buffalo, New York
Ladies and Gentlemen the wait is finally over March Madness are here. In less than 24 hours the most historic tournament in basketball will tip-off. One of the most talked about games in the first round is the Providence Friars taking on the South Dakota State Jackrabbits.
The Providence Friars are a team loaded with scorers and experienced playmakers. Ed Cooley led the Friars to their first-ever regular season title, and now the Friars have their sights set on a deep tournament run. During the regular season, they showed they are a team that can grind out close games and secure wins. They finished the year 11-2 with games decided by five points or fewer. When things are clicking offensively the Friars can compete with anyone in the nation.
Now on the flip side, the South Dakota State Jackrabbits are coming into the tournament red hot. Winners of 21 games straight and shooting a combined 44.2% from deep, the Jackrabbits are leading the nation in 3-point field goal percentage! The Jackrabbits can flat out score, averaging 86.7 points per game which is good for 2nd in the nation. That has never been a problem for this team, what concerns me in this matchup is how SDSU matches up defensively.
The Jackrabbits give up tons of open looks from three and what’s most concerning for me is the matchup down low. Nate Watson has been the backbone of this Friars team and nobody on SDSU can matchup with him defensively. SDSU will be forced to double him down low or he will feast. I believe this will lead to open looks from three for Providence.
This is where the experience and shooting will come into play for the Friars. Al Durham, Noah Horchler, and Jared Bynum should see plenty of quality looks from three and they are players that won’t shy away from the big moment of March Madness.
It seems as though the whole world is riding with the Jackrabbits and their winning streak. However, going from playing Mid Major competition to a team like Providence will be the difference in this matchup. They haven’t played a team like the Friars all year. Look for Providence to blitz them early and not look back. Ride the Friars all the way to the window and start the tournament off with winner.
Prediction: Providence -2.5