Bet On NCAA Basketball: #13 Jackrabbits vs. #3 Bears
Two teams with an identical 27-7 record this year will square off in Albuquerque on Thursday evening. The #14 seed South Dakota State Jackrabbits will take on the #3 seed Baylor Bears.
NCAA Tournament Matchup: South Dakota State vs. Baylor
South Region
Location: Albuquerque, New Mexico
Time/TV: 7:27 PM EST on truTV
College Basketball Gambling Odds from Bookmaker
NCAA Basketball Betting Favorite: Baylor -7.5
Over/Under: 140
CBS Sports Analyst Seth Davis brought some extra publicity to this one when he said he thinks South Dakota State will pull off the monumental upset.
Let’s take a look at this matchup.
What do we know about the Jackrabbits? First of all, they have the coolest nickname in the NCAA Tournament this year. Second, this team is actually pretty darn good. They beat Washington on the road 92-73 in December. They also lost to lowly North Dakota by 19 points at one point in the season.
South Dakota is led by sensational guard Nate Wolters. Wolters averages 21.3 points per game.
He also leads the team in rebounding, assists, and steals. He racked up 198 assists this year compared to just 70 turnovers. South Dakota State shoots 39.3% from three-point range as a team. Griffin Callahan, Jordan Dykstra, Chad White, and Brayden Carlson all shoot 40% or better from beyond the arc.
The Jackrabbits average 77.3 points per game. [soliloquy id=”82219″]
Baylor probably has the most talented frontcourt in the nation. Perry Jones III, Quincy Acy, and Quincy Miller are all terrific. Jones III is the team’s leading scorer at 14 points per game. He has an extremely high NBA Draft stock, but he has been pretty inconsistent in his college career.
If he shows up to play, this team can beat anyone.
Quincy Acy is a senior forward who averages 11.8 points, 7.2 boards, and 1.9 blocks per game. Quincy Miller is a sensational freshman who has a nice outside shooting stroke. There were many question marks about this team’s guards before the year, but Pierre Jackson and Brady Heslip have both played very well.
Both of them shoot 43.5% from three-point range. Jackson has proven himself to be a clutch shooter, but he also turned the ball over too often this year. Baylor is very good on the glass because of their size and athleticism.
South Dakota State can really shoot it, and I think that will keep them in the game. At the same time, I don’t think they can stop Baylor down low enough to win this one outright.
Free College Basketball Pick: South Dakota State +7.5
Prediction: Baylor 77 South Dakota State 71
