UNC
Greensboro Spartans vs. Florida State Seminoles Betting Preview
The UNC
Greensboro Spartans will take on the Florida State Seminoles in the first round
of the
NCAA Tournament on Saturday. Wes Miller's squad
received the automatic bid after winning the Southern Conference Tournament.
The Spartans finished the season with an impressive 21-8 record overall and a
13-5 mark in conference play.
We crushed
our last pick, we called the OVER in our Oklahoma
@ West Virginia free pick. Go take a look.
Florida
State is once again one of the top teams in the Atlantic Coast Conference. It
posted a 16-6 overall record with an 11-4 record in league play.
The
Seminoles are led by senior guard MJ Walker, who was a second-team All-ACC
selection this season. There is quality depth among the Florida State roster.
This game
is scheduled for a 12:45 pm ET tip-off from Bankers Life Fieldhouse Arena in
Indianapolis on Saturday.
IS
YOUR BOOKIE BUSINESS READY FOR MARCH MADNESS?
Spartans At
The Gate
The Southern
Conference has produced some of the biggest tournament darlings and upset
selections in recent seasons. UNC Greensboro deserves the same consideration.
Head coach Wes Miller once again has his team hitting its stride late in the
season.
The Spartans
boast one of the most celebrated in conference history with guard Isaiah
Miller. The 6-0 combo guard isn't exactly a lights-out shooter. He is simply
one of the most dominant individual players in the mid-major ranks.
Miller has
won the Defensive Player of the Year award in the SoCon for each of the last
three seasons. He's also been named the Player of the Year in the conference in
each of the last two.
This young
man is simply talented and has the ability to lead coach Miller's team to March
Madness upset.
The
Spartans haven't played many games as the underdog this season, only two. But
they have covered in 17 of their 28 games. Meanwhile, they've gone over the
total in 11 of their 18 games during the campaign.
Must Read
> An
Insider’s Look at Betting the NCAA Tournament
Never Doubt
Coach Ham
Early on in
his career, Leonard Hamilton may have been considered a mediocre coach. But the
ACC's most likable coach has seemingly hit his stride in recent seasons.
Florida
State has been to an Elite Eight and a Sweet 16 in the two most recently played
tournaments. The Seminoles were poised for a deep run last season before the
event was cancelled.
Hamilton is
known for having teams deep with talent, length and athletic ability. They're
also extremely energetic on the defensive end of the floor.
The
Seminoles' defense often leads to easy opportunities in transition. Meanwhile,
his offense leads to buckets in the paint as well as shooters spotting up in
the short corner.
The
Seminoles are 15-5 straight-up this season as the favorite while posting an
11-9-2 mark overall against the spread. A look at college
basketball scores show the Seminoles have gone over
in 14 of 22 games, including seven of their last nine.
The Pick
While
Florida State seems like the easy pick in this game, you should not sleep on
either Miller in this situation. The Seminoles aren't exactly playing their
best basketball of the season. Meanwhile, the Spartans boast an absolute star
in the backcourt.
Look for
the Seminoles to win the game straight-up. But UNC Greensboro will keep it
close enough to make it scary while ultimately covering the number.