The North Carolina Central Eagles have to feel a little jobbed going to Dayton. They finished the season at 25-8 and won the MEAC in the regular season comfortably and cruised to wins in the conference tournament as well. North Carolina Central even managed to beat a major conference team on the road, knocking off Missouri by 10 in Columbia earlier this year. A date against Kansas in Kansas City awaits them if they can knock off the UC Davis Aggies in Ohio.
Don’t miss the hardwood action from the UD Arena at 6:40 p.m. ET on Wednesday, March 15, 2017. Catch every moment of the game live on truTV. We will have NCAA basketball odds at BookMaker.eu available for this and every other First Four college basketball matchup.
College Basketball Odds at BookMaker.eu
North Carolina Central -3.5 vs. UC Davis
North Carolina Central covered all three of its games in the MEAC Tournament and crushed its first two opponents. The Eagles had their way with Bethune-Cookman and Maryland Eastern Shore, waxing both by a combined 63 points. However, their win against Norfolk State was a bit more taxing and they only covered by a half-point.
UC Davis squeaked out a win against rival UC Irvine in the Big West Tournament to get here. The Aggies ended the season on a solid run against the number, posting a 5-1-1 ATS mark in their last seven games and play solid defense. Under was 17-12-1 in UC Davis games on the year.
Player to Watch
Patrick Cole spent a year at Coppin State and Siena before ending up at NC Central, but has been this team’s star this season. Cole has accounted for most of the offense on the Eagles this season, averaging 19.5 PPG, and leads the team in assists as well with 5.7 an outing. Additionally, his 7 rebounds a night have greatly helped this team on the glass in the MEAC.
However, Cole has not been an efficient scorer and may be wearing down with the amount of minutes he has played. Cole averaged 35 minutes a night this season and hasn’t shot better than 40 percent from the floor in any of his last 5 games. He went just 19 of 58 from the field in the MEAC Tournament and this team might not be able to survive a performance like that against UC Davis.
Key Stat
UC Davis plays pretty good defense and that was the key for the Aggies down the stretch. In the Big West Tournament, they held opponents to 55.5 PPG, giving them three wins and the conference title. Opposing teams hit less than a third of their three-point attempts against this side and that typically bodes well for teams entering the NCAA Tournament.
Most impressively was how this team performed against UC Irvine in the Big West Championship Game. In the regular season finale, the Anteaters torched the Aggies, lighting them up from deep en route to a 30-point victory. In particular, Luke Nelson went 7 of 11 from beyond the arc against them.
To their credit, the Aggies defended the three-point line much better the second time around and forced 20 turnovers to get the win when it mattered most. They held the Anteaters to 25 percent from downtown and that led to a 50-47 win.
Free College Basketball ATS Picks
Rebounding is a place where NC Central is going to have a major advantage. The Eagles are averaging 38.9 rebounds a night and only have to worry about two players on the Aggies, Chima Moneke and JT Adenrele. Adenrele is typically in foul trouble though, making the job potentially easier.
Lay the points and take the Eagles here. UC Davis is just happy to have made the NCAA Tournament for the first time in its history and played in a very down Big West. NC Central is the biggest favorite of the First Four games for a reason.
College Basketball Odds: North Carolina Central 67, UC Davis 56
BookMaker.eu offers play-by-play betting odds for live sporting events every day! The user-friendly wagering interface on your smartphone provides an easy way to place bets on the go. Mobile betting lines are updated by the minute, so click here to start gambling on thrilling live action at BookMaker.eu!
