March Madness kicks off as St. Francis PA faces Alabama State in a First Four game. It’s time to continue our College Basketball odds series with a St. Francis PA-Alabama State prediction and pick.
St. Francis is 16-17 on the year and was just 8-8 in conference play. They would end up with the third seed in the NEC tournament. St. Francis would defeat Wagener and Long Island in the first two rounds, facing top-seeded Central Connecticut in the finals. The game would be tied at the end of the first half, but St. Francis would come away with the victory, winning the game 46-43. It was their third straight game they won by three points.
Meanwhile, Alabama State was 19-15 this year and went 12-6 in conference play. This would give them the five seed in the SWAC tournament. After a first-round bye, Alabama State would defeat Texas Southern and Grambling. They would win both games, bringing a matchup with the second-seeded Jackson State. Jackson State led by one at the end of the first half and would hold the lead for much of the second half. Still, Alabama State made the comeback and would win the game 60-56.
Here are the St. Francis PA-Alabama State College Basketball Odds, courtesy of FanDuel
NCAA First Four Odds: St. Francis PA-Alabama State Odds
St. Francis PA: +3.5 (-110)
Moneyline: +136
Alabama State: -3.5 (-110)
Moneyline: -164
Over: 141.5 (-110)
Under: 141.5 (-110)
How to Watch St. Francis PA vs. Alabama State
Time: 6:40 PM ET/ 3:40 PM PT
TV: truTV
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Why St. Francis PA Will Cover The Spread/Win
St. Francis is ranked 311th in KenPom’s current rankings. They are 299th in adjusted offensive efficiency this year while sitting 293rd in adjusted defensive efficiency. St. Francis has been slightly better on the defense end of the court. They are 208th in the nation in opponent points per game while sitting 207th in opponent shooting efficiency. They have also done well at not sending opponents to the free-throw line. St. Francis is 74th in the nation in opponent free-throw attempts per game this year.
Riley Parker leads the way for St. Francis PA. He is scoring 13.4 points per game while also leading the team with 3.4 assists per game. Further, he has 3.5 rebounds per game this year. Meanwhile, Juan Cranford is scoring 10 points per game while having 4.1 rebounds, 1.9 assists, and one steal per game. Finally, Bobby Rosenberger III has 8.5 points per game while adding 3.7 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game.
Meanwhile, Valentino Pinedo leads the team in rebounding. He comes into the game with 6.5 rebounds per game while adding ten points and 1.3 assists per game this year.
Why Alabama State Will Cover The Spread/Win
Alabama State is ranked 273rd in KenPom’s current rankings. They are 270th in adjusted offensive efficiency this year while sitting 256th in adjusted defensive efficiency. Alabama State has also been solid on the defensive end of the court. They are 181st in the nation in opponent points per game while sitting 148th in opponents shooting efficiency this year. They have also done well against ball movement. Alabama State is 109th in the nation in opponent assists per game this year while sitting 66th in opponent assist-to-turnover ratio.
CJ Hines leads the way for Alabama State. He is scoring 14.4 points per game while adding three rebounds, 2.5 assists, and 1.1 steals per game this year. He is joined in the backcourt by Amarr Knox. Knox is scoring 14.3 points per game while adding two rebounds, 2.5 assists, and 1.7 steals per game.
TJ Madlock leads the team in rebounds and assists this year. He comes in with 7.2 rebounds per game while adding 2.6 assists per game this year. He is also scoring 12.6 points with 1.1 steals per game.
Final St. Francis PA-Alabama State Prediction & Pick
St. Francis PA is the lowest-ranked team in the tournament according to KenPom. Still, the next lowest is Alabama State, which is almost 40 spots better. One major factor in this game will be controlling the pace of play. Alabama State is 17th in the nation in field goal attempts per game, while St. Francis is 263rd. Still, Alabama State has not shot efficiently. They are 329th in the nation in shooting efficiency this year while St. Francis is 192nd. Further, Alabama State has shot a lot from three this year, sitting 42nd in the nation in three-point attempts and 57th in made attempts. Still, St. Francis has been solid against the three. They are 92nd in the nation against the three this year. Take St. Francis to keep it close.
Final St. Francis PA-Alabama State Prediction & Pick: St. Francis PA +3.5 (-110)
The post St. Francis PA vs. Alabama State prediction, odds, pick for NCAA First Four appeared first on ClutchPoints.
