Wichita State vs. Dayton Pick
Will No. 10 Wichita State live up to expectations of beating No. 7 Dayton when the two meet tonight at 7:10PM ET in the NCAA Tournament?
According to oddsmakers at BetDSI, Wichita State is the favorite in this game, as the Shockers are getting odds of -6 points against Dayton. The over/under total for the game is listed at 144 points. This game will take part in the South Region and air on CBS from Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Indiana.
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Wichita State is being given a lot of love for this game as they come in with a record of 30-4, which is one of the best in the entire tournament. The Shockers have won 15 straight coming into today and are winners in the Missouri Valley Conference. The Shockers are also an impressive 18-12-1 against the spread on the season. They average 81.9 points per game on offense while allowing 62.6 on defense They have great balance on offense as well, with five guys averaging from 9-12 points per game. Markis McDuffie is leading the team with 11.8 points and 5.7 rebounds per game while Landry Shamet is adding 11.1 points per game.
Dayton has lost its last two games coming into today to drop to 24-7 on the season. The Flyers won the Atlantic-10 regular-season title to get into the tournament and they have a record of 19-10 against the spread on the season with a 10-5 mark ATS away from home. Dayton is averaging 76 points per game on offense while allowing 66.8 on defense. Away from home, the Flyers are giving up 71.5 points per contest. Charles Cooke is leading the team with 16.1 points and 5.1 rebounds per game while Kendall Pollard is adding 14.1 points and 5.1 rebounds per game.
Wichita State has been rolling, but the Shockers also have been winning easy. I don’t suspect today will be easy. Dayton has been listening to people say it will be one of the lower seeds to lose this week, so the Flyers should come out plenty motivated. While the Shockers could certainly win, I think Dayton makes this a game down to the wire. The Flyers have the offensive balance to hang with the Shockers. This should be a great game.
MARCH MADNESS PREDICTION: DAYTON +6