The top two seeds in the Southland tournament are set to collide for the right to go to the NCAA tournament on Saturday night when the New Orleans Privateers and Texas AM CC Islanders match wits for the second time this season. These rivals lone meeting needed an overtime session to decide the victor, and as evenly matched as these teams are, it wouldn’t be a shock if more time was needed to determine the winner of this one as well.
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Though Texas AM CC entered its semifinal tilt with Stephen F. Austin as the No. 2 seed in the tournament, it went off the betting board as 1 point underdogs. It didn’t take too kindly to that notion as it got out to a 42-29 first half lead and held on over the next 20 minutes to pull out the 77-69 mild upset. The combined 146 points surpassed the closing 134 point total with ease.
New Orleans had partaken in only one lined game previously before it got to sit out the first two rounds of the Southland tournament. It got destroyed 83-49 by Northwestern in that game, but had no problem scoring its first cover of the season against Sam Houston State by bolting out to a 39-25 lead at the break before going on to win 75-63 to easily cover the 2.5 point spread.
Key Stat
32.3% - This is the percentage both of these teams combined to shoot from beyond the arc in the first go round. Ugly to say the least, but it hardly came as a surprise with the Islanders ranked No. 263 shooting the 3 ball at 33.3 percent and the Privateers No. 285 at 32.8 percent. Texas AM CC was led in scoring by Ehab Amin who went for a team-high 25 points on 11 of 22 shooting, while New Orleans was led by Nate Frye who scored a game-high 27 points on 10 of 15 shooting and converted 5 of 6 free throws. Should a team find the range from deep, it would certainly give that side the advantage as close a game as these team’s played with only eight total 3 pointers dropping.
Player to Watch
Erik Thomas – The Privateers big man is the team’s best asset by far with him leading the team in scoring, rebounds, field goal percentage and steals. He enters off a solid game against Sam Houston State whom he got to for 18 points while draining all 10 of his shots from the charity stripe. Most importantly, he didn’t pick up a single foul. He was all over the stat sheet in these team’s lone meeting with 17 points and 8 rebounds in a game New Orleans reeled in 10 more rebounds. The Privateers hold the edge on the glass, and if they’re to take advantage of it, Thomas will have to step up and lead the way once again.
Free College Basketball ATS Pick
A long drought is going to end for one of these programs. New Orleans hasn’t laced up its dancing shoes in more than 20 years, while the Islanders will be looking to punch a ticket for the first time in a decade. If they do, it will only mark the school’s second trip to the NCAA tournament.
I think they get there. Texas AM Corpus Christis lost in the finals of this tournament to SFA last year, so it’s touted Saturday’s championship tilt as “unfinished business.” Though they fell to New Orleans in the team’s lone meeting, you can’t help but come away impressed with the way it battled back in the second half to push the game to overtime where it fell 73-72. Rashawn Thomas will be the best player on the floor, so look for him to match if not surpass Erik Thomas’ output and send his team to the dance.
College Basketball Odds: Texas AM CC 64, New Orleans 60
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