(1) Baylor vs (9) Wisconsin – 2:40 PM ET
Baylor (23-2) defeated Hartford to open the tournament, 79-55. The Bears were led by MaCio Teague with 22 points. He hit nine of 17 shots including four of eight from three-point range. Jared Butler added 13 points and nine assists. Baylor shot 41.3% from the field.
Baylor is third in the country in scoring at 85.3 ppg while allowing 65.6 points per game, 65th overall. The Bears are shooting 49.7% from the field, 13th overall and are the number one three-point shooting team in the country at 42.9%. Butler leads the team in scoring at 17.1 ppg. He is shooting 49.3% from the field and 44.4% from three-point range. Teague is second in scoring at 15.7 points per game, hitting 48.1% of his shots and 83.6% from the free-throw line.
Easy dub for Baylor! 💪
The top-seeded Bears advance past (16) Hartford with ease 79-55! #MarchMadness pic.twitter.com/g2jb05khrI
— NCAA March Madness (@marchmadness) March 19, 2021
Wisconsin (18-12) defeated North Carolina to open the tournament, 85-62. The Badgers dominated this contest, taking a 16-point lead into the break. They shot 50.8% from the field and 48.1% from three-point range. Brad Davison led the team with 29 points, hitting 10 of 15 shots, including five of seven from three-point range.
Wisconsin is averaging 69.9 ppg, while allowing 64.0 points per contest, 45th overall. They are shooting 42.1% from the field but have been an excellent free-throw shooting team, hitting 76.0% of their attempts. The Badgers are led in scoring by D’Mitrik Trice averaging 13.7 points per game, who is shooting 41.2% from the field and 80% from the free-throw line. Micah Potter is second on the team in scoring at 12.8 points per game. He is the leading rebounder at 5.9 per contest.
March Madness Pick – Baylor (-260)
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(3) Arkansas vs (6) Texas Tech – 6:10 PM ET
Arkansas (23-6) defeated Colgate to begin the tournament, 85-68. The Razorbacks shot 44.6% from the field, led by Justin Smith with 29 points and 13 rebounds. He also added five steals. Smith was nine of 17 from the field and 11 of 13 from the free-throw line. Four other Razorbacks players scored in double digits, including Jalen Tate with 15 points. He added seven rebounds and four assists.
Arkansas is averaging 83.3 ppg, seventh in the nation, while allowing 70.7 points per contest. They are shooting 45.6% from the field, 89th in the country, and 74.5% from the free-throw line, 58th in the nation. Moses Moody leads the team in scoring at 17.5 ppg and he is second on the team in rebounding at 5.7 per contest. Moody is shooting 44.1% from the field and 82.8% from the free-throw line. Justin Smith is the leading rebounder at 6.8 per contest and is averaging 12.5 points per game. He is shooting 53.0% from the field.
Texas Tech (18-10) opened with a 65-53 victory over Utah State. The Red Raiders hit 41.9% of their shots. Mac McClung led the team in scoring with 16 points, hitting six of 16 shots. Kevin McCullar scored 10 points and added seven rebounds. Kyler Edwards scored 12 points and added six rebounds, four assists, and three steals.
Texas Tech is averaging 73.3 ppg while allowing 63.3 points per contest, 35th in the country. They are shooting 44.5% from the field and 34.6% from three-point range. The Red Raiders are led in scoring by Mac McClung at 16.1 ppg. Three other Texas Tech players are averaging in double digits, including Kevin McCullar at 10.1 points per contest. He is second on the team in rebounding at 6.2 per game.
March Madness Pick – Arkansas (+100)
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(7) Florida vs (15) Oral Roberts – 7 :45 PM ET
Florida (15-9) opened with a 75-70 victory over Virginia Tech. The Gators shot an impressive 56.5% from the field. Colin Castleton had a monster contest, scoring 19 points and adding 14 rebounds. Scotty Lewis came off the bench to score 15 points.
Florida is averaging 74.6 ppg, 97th in the country, while allowing 69.8 ppg. The Gators are shooting 47.0% from the field, 47th overall, and 35.5% from three-point range, 90th in the nation. The Gators are led in scoring by Tre Mann, averaging 15.0 ppg. He is tied for the team-lead in rebounds at 5.7 per contest and is shooting 83.8% from the line. Castleton is shooting 59.4% from the field and is averaging 12.7 points per game.
Oral Roberts DOES NOT CARE about your bracket. pic.twitter.com/QmWdCf4AKc
— ESPN (@espn) March 19, 2021
Oral Roberts (17-10) pulled the upset of the tournament, knocking out second ranked Ohio State in overtime, 75-72. The Golden Eagles shot just 35.7% from the field, but held Ohio State 43.3%, including 21.7% from three-point range. Kevin Obanor scored 30 points and added 11 rebounds. He had nine of 21 shots, including five of 12 from three-point range and hit all seven of his free-throw attempts. Max Abmas added 29 points.
Oral Roberts is 13th in the country in scoring at 82.0 ppg, while allowing 75.9 points per game. They are shooting 45.1% from the field and 39.2% from three-point range, eighth overall. They are connecting on 81.3% of their free-throw attempts, second in the country.
Obanor has been outstanding, averaging 18.6 points and 10.0 rebounds per game. Obanor is shooting 50% from the field, 46.1% from three-point range, and 88.3% from the free-throw line. Abmas is also having a great season, averaging 24.8 ppg. He is shooting 48.9% from the field, 46.1% from three-point range, and 89.9% from the foul line.
March Madness Pick – Oral Roberts (+265)
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(5) Villanova vs (13) North Texas – 8:45 PM ET
Villanova (17-6) defeated Winthrop in the opening-round, 73-63. The Wildcats got 22 points, 11 rebounds, and six assists from Jeremiah Robinson-Earl. Robinson-Earl was seven of 15 from the field and added eight of 11 from the free-throw line. Justin Moore added 15 points. Villanova is 69th in the country at 75.8 ppg and are 92nd in the nation in points allowed at 66.9 per contest. They are shooting 45.1% from the field and are 89th in the country in three-point shooting at 35.5%.
The Wildcats are 24th in the nation in free-throw shooting at 77.3%. Robinson-Earl leads the team in scoring at 15.2 ppg and he is the leading rebounder at 8.4 rpg. Robinson-Earl is shooting 48.3% from the field. Jermaine Samuels is averaging 11.4 points and 6.3 rebounds per game. He is shooting 47.9% from the field and 80.0% from the free-throw line.
North Texas (18-9) opened with a 78-69 upset victory over Purdue. The Mean Green shot 47.5% from the field, 42.9% from three-point range, and 86.7% from the free-throw line in the contest. Javion Hamlet led the way with 24 points and 12 rebounds. He also added five assists. Hamlet was a perfect 8-8 from the free-throw line. Thomas Bell and Mardrez McBride each had 16 points.
North Texas is averaging 71.1 points per contest while allowing 62.6 per game, 29th best in the nation. They are shooting 48.4% from the field, 25th overall, and 37.2% from three-point range, 44th in the nation. Hamlet leads the team in scoring at 14.3 ppg. James Reese is second in scoring at 11.2 points per game. Zachary Simmons is the leading rebounder at 6.2 per contest and is fourth in scoring at 10.3 points per game.
March Madness Pick – Villanova (-280)
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*Odds and spreads correct at time of publication, courtesy of Bet365.
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