San Francisco vs. Murray St. Bracket Prediction: March Madness Odds
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Nik Kowalski
Murray State went 18-0 in conference play this season en route to an Ohio Valley Conference title. San Francisco finished 24-9 on the year, last playing in a 81-71 loss to Gonzaga in the West Coast Conference semifinal.
Tip-off at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis goes at 9:40 p.m. EDT, with Murray State a 1.5-point favourite and then over-under at 137 on the NCAAB odds.
San Francisco vs. Murray State NCAA Tournament Point Spread and Betting
San Francisco’s played solid of late with wins in eight of their last 12 and covered in six of their last eight overall. Murray State’s covered once in their last five games, but at the same time haven’t lost a game since December 22 at Auburn, a No. 2 seed.
Both clubs have issues knocking down shots at the charity stripe. Murray State’s 257th in the country with a 69.4 percentage, and San Francisco is only slightly better at 69.6 per cent. Murray State is one of the nation’s top scoring teams though ranking 17th in points per game with 79.3 and 21st in team field goal percentage.
San Francisco Dons (10)
The Dons have a do-it-all player themselves in senior guard Jamaree Bouyea who led the team with 16.7 points, four assists, and 1.8 steals per game. Bouyea has over 100 NCAA starts and 1,600 points to his name but is coming off a disastrous night versus Gonzaga in which he went one of 11 from the field and zero for seven from deep.
Bouyea is one of many key seniors on the Dons, meaning this is their time to make some noise in the tournament. Forward Yauhen Massalski led the team with 9.4 rebounds per game while averaging 13.5 points, and Khalil Shabazz averaged 14 a game. All of Bouyea, Massalski, and Shabazz are seniors.
Murray St. Racers (7)
Junior forward KJ Williams is the Racers’ do-it-all player, leading the team in all of points (18.2), rebounds (18.6), and steals (1.5) per game. Williams has scored at least 23 in three of his last four showings including a 29-point, 10-rebound day in the OVC semifinal. Williams is extremely efficient too, shooting nearly 55 per cent from the field this season.
Guard Tevin Brown is another dangerous scorer for Murray State after averaging 16.9 points and knocking down 100 three-pointers this season. Brown’s connected on at least three treys in five of his last six games. Point guard Justice Hill also averaged double-digits for the Racers, scoring 13.2 points per night while leading the team in assists with five per game.
SF
MURR