If this year’s NCAA Tournament First Four contestants look like they’ve been here before, it’s because many have. Texas Southern, back for the third straight year, returns alongside Texas A&M-Corpus Christi among others. And after the Tigers defeated the Islanders last year, we have a chance to bring this beauty back to life:
Texas A&M Corpus Christi (located on its own island) offers 33 majors including Atmospheric and Environmental Sciences. TAMUCC also offers a TON of Merit Scholarships for incoming Islander freshmen in the top 20%. Also, the campus has a student-only beach. #featuredcollege pic.twitter.com/xyTA9poimj
— MJ College Prep (@mjcollegeprep) February 13, 2018
It’s understandable that some of the 16 seeds are regulars after years of dominating poorly rated conferences. Perhaps Arizona State should invest in a timeshare in Dayton as the team returns to the First Four for the third time since 2018.
(16) Southeast Missouri State vs. (16) Texas A&M-Corpus Christi (-4, 155.5)
Southeast Missouri State had something of a Cinderella run by finishing fifth in the OVC tournament, winning four games in four nights and beating more rested teams, all of whom finished higher overall. Unfortunately for the Redhawks, the Islanders — the Southland class — are better than any team in the OVC, a conference devastated by the departures of Belmont and Murray State.
More than a week after that magical run, the state of Southeast Missouri was scheduled to return to Earth. With Corpus-Christi experience at Dayton — and perhaps a chip on his shoulder after last year’s loss — the Islanders are the game. Expect their trio of top scorers to deliver, especially after top scorer Trevian Tennyson came on for 18 points to keep his team in last year’s First Four against Texas Southern.
Choose: Texas A&M Corpus Christi (-4)
(11) Pittsburgh vs. (11) State of Mississippi (-2.5, 133)
Any of these teams could pose a problem for Iowa State in the main round, and we’ve backed both as long shots in the futures markets lately. While those big conference-level swings didn’t work out, there was reason to like both Pittsburgh and Mississippi.
Now that that line has crept onto the high side of a single possession, shore up the Panthers. The Bulldogs won the SEC tournament but were extremely sloppy in both games in Nashville, coughing up 20 turnovers against Florida alone. You can’t mask 12.7 turnovers per game like a high-octane offense can.
If nothing else, rank the team that can shoot from long range (Pittsburgh, 36%) over the team that can’t (Mississippi State, 26.6%) — especially if we’re scoring points.
Choose: Pittsburgh (+2.5)
(16) Fairleigh Dickinson vs. (16) Texas Southern (-2, 145.5)
Someone needs to explain how the two-time SWAC champions ended up in eighth place before going through the conference tournament again. But the Texas Southern regular season is irrelevant now. For a small conference squad about to be rolled over by a 1-seed in a few days, this is the moment in the spotlight.
Sophomore Dazu Barnes emerged as the Tigers’ top scorer alongside three seniors who are averaging double figures and played a key role in the First Four’s win last year, but it’s defense that will make the difference; Texas Southern’s length and athleticism will upset a Fairleigh Dickinson team that hasn’t shot or rebounded at the elite level this season at the NEC.
Choose: Texas South (-2)
(11) Nevada vs. (11) Arizona State (-2, 133.5)
Nevada had a chance to earn a berth in the NCAA tournament in the Mountain West quarterfinals, but lost to San Jose State on a neutral berth. Note that the Spartans are not in the bracket. In fact, the Wolf Pack ended the season as decent favorites with three straight losses. That’s not exactly a strong argument to put before the committee, but here they are anyway.
Arizona State had a chance to secure its NCAA tournament berth in the PAC-12 Quarterfinals, defeating USC in a wire-to-wire victory. With the Trojans in the main group, this was probably the last data point that brought ASU back to Dayton.
The Wolf Pack should probably be favored based on KenPom ratings, but ShotQuality metrics suggest the Sun Devils are better at creating good offense. Basically, trust Bobby Hurley – who has won here before – as the better bet over Steve Alford, who has had tournament success at UCLA and little else.
Choose: State of Arizona (-2)
Matt Russell is a betting writer for theScore. If there’s a bad beat, Matt will find it. Find him on Twitter @mrussauthentic.
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