The selection committee didn’t help Wichita State, placing it as a No. 11 seed in the South Region. According to KenPom, the Shockers are the 12th-best team in the country. Early injuries and being a mid-major didn’t help. But in reality, the committee did Arizona no favors.
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Wichita State Shockers +1.5
Arizona Wildcats -1.5
Over/Under: 136.5
HOW THE WICHITA STATE SHOCKERS CAN COVER THE SPREAD
A promising season that had Wichita State ranked 10th in the preseason polls was devastated by injuries. Now, the Shockers are back in good health and in the NCAA Tournament for a fifth year in a row. They advanced with a second half fun to beat Vanderbilt in a play-in game Tuesday.
The Shockers have worked on their long-range shooting in the past week, the part of their game that let them down in the Missouri Valley Conference tournament. They were good against the Commodores on Tuesday, but need to be better versus Arizona with not much available in the post.
The senior backcourt of Fred Van Fleet and Ron Baker know a little about NCAA Tournament play and are experienced in this situation. The two were part of the Shockers’ 2013 Final Four team. Together they scored all the points in a decisive 11-0 run that opened the second half against Vandy.
Wichita State leads the nation in scoring defense, giving up just 59 points per game. The shockers shut down Vanderbilt Tuesday night and contained 7-footer Luke Kornet. That’s a good sign with Arizona’s mammoth front line up next.
HOW THE ARIZONA WILDCATS CAN COVER THE SPREAD
Arizona guided its way to a 12-6 record in what is widely considered as the deepest Pac-12 in many years. And the Cats came within a free throw of defeating the conference’s No. 1 seed Oregon in the tournament.
The Wildcats have the talent to make a deep run in the NCAA’s and getting past a legitimate threat in Wichita State will go a long way towards them advancing to the second weekend. It won’t be easy against a stout defensive unit.
The three guard lineup of Gabe York, Kadeem Allen and Allonzo Trier will be tested, but if they can limit turnovers, hit a high percentage of perimeter shots and feed the big men, Arizona should come away victorious.
Kaleb Tarczewski and Ryan Anderson both have an assortment of low-post moves with above average touch on mid-range shots. Once the ball gets in their hands in the block, the defensive pressure is negated. Look for Arizona to work them heavily in the game plan.
ANALYSIS AND ODDS PREDICTION
Wichita State had to knock off Vanderbilt with a second half blitz in a First Four matchup and there’s a lot to like about the Shockers. Experience and leadership is provided by the backcourt of Baker and Van Fleet and the Shockers play defense better than anybody in the country. They’ve allowed just one team to score more than 58 points over the past 12 games, and that came in a 99-68 win over Missouri State. Not only are Baker and Van Fleet tops among active players in NCAA Tournament scoring, they play exceptional defense. Wichita State relies on them to get steals and easy transition buckets. Both made the MVC’s all-defensive team.
The front line of Tarczewski, Anderson and Mark Tollefson will be a lot for the undersized Shockers to handle, though they did a nice job on Vandy’s bigs in the play-in game. Arizona has more depth and balance and the guard play will be pivotal. Few turnoves and smart decisions should lead the Wildcats to the next round.
Arizona 65, Wichita State 61
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Mobile betting lines are updated by the minute, so click here to start gambling on thrilling live action at BookMaker Sportsbook! The matchup between the Wichita State Shockers and Arizona Wildcats will go down Thursday, March 17, 2016 at 9:20 p.m. ET at Dunkin’ Donuts Center. The matchup will be televised live on TNT.
