Kansas vs Niagara Preview

Kansas (1) Vs. Niagara (16)
Friday, 3/16 @ 7:10
Betting Line From Bookmaker: Kansas -19

The second ranked Kansas Jayhawks (30- 4, 14- 2 Big 12) took both the Big- 12 tournament and the regular rankings. After finishing second at the end of the regular season, the Niagara Purple Eagles (23- 11, 13- 5 MAAC) beat Sienna to take their league tourney 83- 79 and land in the NCAA Tournament.

It’s just about impossible to defend against the Jayhawks who are both talented and deep. Start with sophomore guard Brandon Rush (13.8 PPG, 5.7 RPG)—a solid perimeter shooter and the club’s leading scorer. Point guard Mario Chalmers (12.3 PPG, 3.2 RPG, 3.1 APG), another second-year player, is an excellent defender and set-up man. Inside, sophomore forward Julian Wright (12.1 PPG, 8.0 RPG) is a force in the paint, ably scoring and recovering the ball.

Niagara looks to two swingmen to perform major magic in this game. Senior Cliff Brown (16.5 PPG, 9.8 RPG) led the Purple Eagles with 32 points when the team beat Florida A & M in this year’s NCAA Tournament kickoff game. Junior Charron Fisher (20.7 PPG, 8.1 RPG) is sound inside and out. Lorenzo Miles (12.9 PPG, 3.4 RPG, 3.5 APG) is a fine set-up guy with solid defensive skills. Freshman guard Tyrone Lewis (12.3 PPG, 4.0 RPG, 1.8 APG) is an accurate shooter.

Any team that plays Kansas will have their hands full but a team like Niagara from a small conference is at a real disadvantage. Look for this to be a runaway.

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