Wake Forest vs. Kansas State Pick
Which at-large team will reach the field of 64 in the NCAA Tournament when No. 11 Wake Forest and No. 11 Kansas State meet up tonight at 9:10PM ET?
According to oddsmakers at BetDSI, Kansas State is the slim favorite in this game, as the Wildcats are getting odds of -1.5 points against Wake Forest. The over/under total for the game is listed at 148.5 points. These two are taking part in the play-in game as part of the South Region from University of Dayton Arena in Dayton, Ohio.
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Kansas State put up a 20-13 record this season and finished sixth in the competitive Big 12 Conference. The Wildcats have covered the spread in their last four games to get to 15-12-2 against the spread on the season. They also are 11-6 ATS away from home. K-State is averaging 71.7 points per game on offense while allowing 66.9 on defense. Wesley Iwundu is leading the team with 12.5 points and 6.4 rebounds per game while Barry Brown, Kamau Stokes and D.J. Johnson each average over 11 points per game.
Wake Forest went 19-13 during the season and finished 10th in the ACC at 9-9. The Demon Deacons are 16-14 against the spread on the season and 8-10 against the spread away from home. Wake averages 82.7 points per game on offense while the defense is allowing 77.9 points per contest. Away from home, Wake averages just 77.8 on offense while giving up 81.4 on defense. John Collins is leading the team with 18.9 points and 9.8 rebounds per game while Bryant Crawford is adding 16.1 points and 5.4 assists per contest.
This game should be competitive. In the NCAA Tournament, I tend to go with offense over defense. Kansas State relies on its defense, while Wake is an offensive team. The Demon Deacons shoot 47 percent from the field and 38.7 percent from the arc. That should allow them to push a pace on offense that Kansas State can’t keep up with. The Wildcats are averaging under 70 points per game away from home.
MARCH MADNESS PREDICTION: WAKE FOREST +1.5