Norfolk State vs. Baylor Bracket Prediction: March Madness Odds
The Bears finished 26-6 to finish second in the Big 12, and also came short of a conference title when they fell 72-67 to Oklahoma in the quarterfinals. Norfolk State dominated the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference all season, capping it off with a conference title in a 72-57 victory over Coppin State.
Tip-off at Dickies Arena in Fort Worth, Texas goes at 2 p.m. EDT, with Baylor a 21-point favourite and the over-under at 137.5 on the NCAAB odds.
Norfolk State Spartans vs. Baylor Bears NCAA Tournament Point Spread and Betting
Both clubs enter averaging over 75 points per game, but Baylor of course played stiffer competition throughout the season. The Bears went 5-3 versus 25 opponents this season, whereas the Spartans didn’t play any.
The Spartans were a superb squad against the spread too, going 17-9-1 on the year and 5-1 in neutral site games. The Bears went 16-15-1 ATS this season and covered in two of their last seven outings. The over is 15-2 in Baylor’s last 17 games played in March, but the under is 6-1 in Norfolk State’s last seven played in this month.
Norfolk State Spartans (16)
The Spartans are back as 16 seed for the second straight season, and are making their third March Madness appearance in school history. MEAC player of the year Joe Bryant Jr. led the Spartans in points with 16.8 and also averaged a team-high in assists (3.3), and steals (1.4) per contest. Bryant had a game-high 23 and five threes in the Spartans MEAC title win.
After Bryant, senior Kris Bankston is the player to watch for Norfolk State. The 6’8 forward averaged 11.3 points per game led his team with 6.9 rebounds per outing to go with 1.2 blocks per game.
Baylor Bears (1)
The Bears get it done offensively by committee — no player averages over 15 points a game but they finished the season with four double-digit scorers. Guard L.J. Cryer comes off the bench and led the team with 13.5 points a game while shooting just under 50 per cent from three. But Cryer’s missed the past six games with a foot injury and is questionable to play in the tournament.
Starting guards James Akinjo and Adam Flagler both averaged 13.4 points this season. Akinjo also led Baylor with nearly six assists per game. Freshman Kendall Brown rounds out the double-digit scorers after averaging exactly 10 points. He and freshman forward Jeremy Sochan could be first-round draft picks this year. Sochan averages just under nine points and over six rebounds off the bench.
