#16 UMBC vs. #9 Kansas State -10 | O/U: 135.5
Charlotte, NC | 7:45 p.m. ET on TruTV
No. 1 thing I’ll be watching: UMBC post defense
We are all UMBC Retrievers, but it’s hard to see America’s team keeping the run going. Kansas State is an elite ball-screen defense. The Wildcats have the length and speed on the perimeter with Barry Brown, Cartier Diarra and Kam Stokes that Virginia lacked against Jairus Lyles and KJ Maura. KSU also won’t be flustered by the zone traps that UMBC threw at Virginia, disrupting Tony Bennett’s methodical mover-blocker offense. Dean Wade probably won’t play again, but Makol Malwein should be able to exact plenty of damage against an undermanned UMBC frontcourt. — Jordan Majewski
Did You Know?
Since the 1997 NCAA Tournament, five teams have won a game as an underdog of 15 points or more, including UMBC against Virginia. The previous four teams are 0-4 straight-up and 1-3 ATS their next time out, including 0-3 ATS since 2000. The four teams lost the Round of 32 game by 19.8 PPG and failed to cover the spread by a combined 8.6 PPG. The one team to almost pull two massive upsets in a row was Coppin State in 1997, losing 82-81 to Texas after botching an inbounds pass in the final seconds. — Evan Abrams
Kansas State opened as 10-point favorites against UMBC. Since 2005, teams favored by double digits in the Round of 32 have gone 24-1 straight-up (15-10 ATS). This is the first time the big favorite has been seeded 8 or higher. —
Charlotte, NC | 7:45 p.m. ET on TruTV
No. 1 thing I’ll be watching: UMBC post defense
We are all UMBC Retrievers, but it’s hard to see America’s team keeping the run going. Kansas State is an elite ball-screen defense. The Wildcats have the length and speed on the perimeter with Barry Brown, Cartier Diarra and Kam Stokes that Virginia lacked against Jairus Lyles and KJ Maura. KSU also won’t be flustered by the zone traps that UMBC threw at Virginia, disrupting Tony Bennett’s methodical mover-blocker offense. Dean Wade probably won’t play again, but Makol Malwein should be able to exact plenty of damage against an undermanned UMBC frontcourt. — Jordan Majewski
Did You Know?
Since the 1997 NCAA Tournament, five teams have won a game as an underdog of 15 points or more, including UMBC against Virginia. The previous four teams are 0-4 straight-up and 1-3 ATS their next time out, including 0-3 ATS since 2000. The four teams lost the Round of 32 game by 19.8 PPG and failed to cover the spread by a combined 8.6 PPG. The one team to almost pull two massive upsets in a row was Coppin State in 1997, losing 82-81 to Texas after botching an inbounds pass in the final seconds. — Evan Abrams
Kansas State opened as 10-point favorites against UMBC. Since 2005, teams favored by double digits in the Round of 32 have gone 24-1 straight-up (15-10 ATS). This is the first time the big favorite has been seeded 8 or higher. —
