NCAA TOURNAMENT
ST. FRANCIS (PA) vs. ALABAMA STATE (ALST -4.5, 139.5)
ALABAMA STATE ML
My almost hometown St. Francis Red Flash won the Northeast Conference title to advance to the Big Dance. Alabama State won the SWAC tournament to get to this play-in game. Neither team was expected to do so, but one of these two teams is going to advance to play top-seeded Auburn in the first round of the NCAA tournament.
Alabama State has the edge on defense. The Hornets rank in the top 100 in the country in forcing turnovers. St. Francis ranks in the bottom 100 in turnover rate on offense. The Red Flash turn the ball over on about 20 percent of their possessions. Those stolen possessions are going to be the difference tonight. Alabama State has won 6 straight games and 10 of their past 11. Tonight, they make it 7 straight.
NIT FIRST ROUND
WICHITA STATE @ OKLAHOMA STATE (OKST -6.5 155)
WICHITA STATE +6.5
Both of these teams were underrated in their respective conferences throughout the season. They each had their share of ups and downs. Oklahoma State had a huge upset of Iowa State near the end of the season. Wichita State had a six-game winning streak toward the end of the season that included an upset of AAC champion Memphis.
The Shockers won 8 of their last 12 games and went 4-1 ATS over their last 5. That included another near upset of Memphis in the AAC tournament. Wichita State lost to the Tigers, but they covered in an 83-80 defeat. I think the Shockers are more battle tested than the Cowboys and Wichita State can at least keep this one close enough to cover.
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