Wichita State Shockers vs Miami Hurricanes NCAA Betting Preview & Odds
NCAA Tournament 3rd round action on Saturday and we will see the Wichita State Shockers take on the Miami Hurricanes at the Dunkin’ Donuts Center in Providence, Rhode Island. CBS will carry this game, which has a start time of 12:10 pm EST.
Current betting odds for this game have the have the Shockers listed as 2 point favorites, while the total has been set at 131.5.
The Wichita State Shockers are rolling again as they come in off of a 770-50 win over Vanderbilt and a 65-55 win over Arizona. This defense is on fire right now as they completely shut down a couple of good offensive teams in their first two games. Wichita State is now 26-8 on the year and we note that seeds of 10 or worse are 15-4 ATS as favorites in this round, but we also note that the Shockers are just 3-10 ATS in their last 13 neutral site games. Wichita State is led by Baker, who averages 14.1 ppg and has scored 27 points in the tournament so far. Fred VanVleet is 2nd on the team in scoring at 12.2 ppg and has put up 30 total points in the two games thus far. Baker leads the team in rebounding at 4.9 rpg. The Shockers are led by their amazing defense that held the Commodores to 30% shooting and the Wildcats to just 41.7% shooting. Overall this defense comes in ranked 1st in the nation in points allowed, giving up just 58.9 ppg, while also ranking 3rd defensive FG% overall and 47th in 3-point defense. On offense they check in at 181st in the nation in scoring, putting up 72.9 ppg, while also ranking 221st in shooting overall, 272nd from long range and 111th from the charity stripe. Wichita State is 87th in the nation in rebounding, while they commit just 9.6 turnovers per game (8th) and force 15.4 turnovers per game (15th).
The Miami Hurricanes come in at 26-7 on the year and they are off a 7 point win over Buffalo in the first round, but they did fail to cover the 14 point spread in that game. The Canes are now 7-10 ATS in all games away from home this year and 0-4 ATS their last four games vs a team with a winning record, but they are also 4-1 ATS the last five times they have been a dog in the NCAA tournament and 12-4 ATS in their last 16 non-conference games. Miami has 7 players that average at least 5.6 ppg and are led by Sheldon McClellan, who averages 15.9 ppg and he had 20 points in the win over Buffalo. Angel Rodriguez is 2nd on the team in scoring at 12.1 ppg and he led the Canes in scoring vs the Bulls with 24 points. Davon Reed (11.2 ppg) and Ja’Quan Newton (11.1 ppg) also average in double figures for the Canes. As a team Miami come into this game ranked 117th in the nation in scoring, putting up 75.7 ppg, while also ranking 29th in shooting overall, 88th from long range and 21st at the charity stripe. At the defensive end of the floor they are solid, ranking 56th in the nation in points allowed, allowing just 67.0 ppg, while also ranking 137th in defensive FG% overall and 137th in 3-pt defense. Miami is 198th in the nation in rebounding, while they commit just 10.8 turnovers per game (31st) and force 11.5 turnovers per game (267th).
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