No. 15 Norfolk State Spartans vs. No. 2 Missouri Tigers
Friday, 3/16/12, 4:40 PM EST, TV: TNT
Opening Point Spread: Missouri -21.5
Current Betting Line: Missouri -21.5
Opening Total: 146
Current Total: 144
Odds Courtesy of Bookmaker
Norfolk State will make its first-ever NCAA Division I Tournament appearance this week and will be the No. 15 seed in the West Region. The Spartans head coach is very confident in his team after capturing the Mid-Eastern Conference. “The only spot where we might be challenged could be the power forward spot,” commented Anthony Evans this week. Offensively, the team starts four seniors, while the opening unit has three players averaging in double figures. Norfolk State is 5-1 ATS when playing on a neutral court and the “under” is 4-2 in those contests.
The Spartans are certainly up against it in this matchup due to the No. 15 seed being 4-104 all-time against the No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament. Senior center Kyle O’Quinn is certainly a player to watch in becoming the first player in MEAC history to be voted the league’s Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year in the same season. He is averaging 15.9 points and 10.4 rebounds and will need help from senior guard Chris McEachin, who is second on the team and ninth in the MEAC in scoring 12.8 points per game.
Missouri is enjoying a record-setting season and rolled to its second Big 12 Tournament Championship in four years with three impressive wins, which included a 90-75 win over the Baylor Bears as four-point favorites. The Tigers have won five straight entering the NCAA Tournament, which marks the longest winning streak for the program going into the event since 1986-87. The team is making its 25th appearance in the Big Dance and owns a 22-24 all-time record. Missouri is 4-0 ATS in March games and all four have gone “over” the total.
The Tigers are becoming very familiar with the West Region, being placed in that particular part of the bracket in eight of their last 12 NCAA Tournaments. Four of the five starters are averaging in double figures, with senior guard Marcus Denmon averaging 17.6 points per game. Missouri will look to senior guard Kim English in the leadership department, as he comes off a 19-point performance versus the Baylor Bears in the conference championship.
Bettors will likely back the Spartans due to their 6-1 ATS mark as a neutral-site underdog, while the Tigers are 1-3 ATS in first round tournament games.
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