After a pair of thrilling games Tuesday, the First Four of March Madness resumes Wednesday with Lehigh taking on Prairie View A&M.
Tip-off for this battle of 16 seeds is set for 6:40 p.m. ET on TruTV, with a date against No. 1 Florida in the South Region up for grabs.
The Patriot League champion Lehigh is favored by 3.5 points over Prairie View A&M, with the Over/Under sitting at 142.5 points at BetMGM.
Lehigh vs. Prairie View A&M prediction, best bet
Upon first look at both teams, this matchup firmly fits the description of why the First Four exists.
Lehigh rattled off six consecutive victories to finish its schedule, a run that culminated in a Patriot League Tournament Final win on its home floor over Boston University.
The Mountain Hawks are led by point guard Nasir Whitlock’s 21 points per game and forward Hank Alvey, who averages 15 points per contest.
Their strength lies in 3-point shooting. They are a top-40 team metrics wise, knocking down 36.5% of their attempts per contest, good enough for 38th-best in the nation, according to Torvik rankings.
The Mountain Hawks are seeking their first NCAA Tournament berth since 2012, when they upset No. 2 Duke as the No. 15 seed behind CJ McCollum’s breakthrough performance.
On the opposite side of the floor, A&M’s run to this stage is equivalent to a Hollywood script.
The Panthers were outside the top 12 of the SWAC standings with a 4-8 conference record and sitting seven games below .500 in February.
Prairie View rallied, winning five of its next six final regular-season games to earn the No. 8 seed in the conference tournament.
A&M then strung together four wins in five days, including a major upset of top seed Bethune-Cookman in the second round, to earn the SWAC’s at-large bid.
Dontae Horne paces the Panthers with 20.2 points per game, while backcourt mate Tai’reon Joseph adds 18.2 points.
The Panthers don’t shoot as many 3s as the Mountain Hawks, but instead attack the basket at will.
Their defense, on average, forces 15.3 turnovers per game, leading to fast-break opportunities and drawing fouls on the opposition.
Betting on College Basketball?
I’m backing Prairie View on the spread.
The First Four environment often sees a frantic, faster-paced game, which suits the Panthers, whereas Lehigh, living and dying by the 3, could have issues.
Take into account teams from the SWAC are 4-1 in the conference’s last five appearances in the First Four.
The Play: Prairie View A&M +3.5 (-110, BetMGM)
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