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The NCAA Tournament begins on Thursday, March 18th with the First Four, and then moves on to the first round on Friday, March 15 and Saturday, March 16. No. 4 seed Florida State will face No. 13 seed UNC-Greensboro in the first round. Game time has yet to be announced but we will update this article with that and game odds as soon as it comes available. For now, we’ve got a preliminary preview of the two teams to get you ready for March Madness!
Once the odds from DraftKings Sportsbook are made available for this game, we’ll add that information below. We’ll also add the game time and TV channel once it’s settled.
Game date: Saturday, March 20
Game time: 12:45 p.m.
TV channel: truTV
Location: Bankers Life Fieldhouse
Odds: FSU -10.5
Over/Under: 145.5
No. 4 Florida State
After having a potential run to the Final Four cut short last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Leonard Hamilton and the Florida State Seminoles have returned as one of the strongest representatives the Atlantic Coast Conference will have representing them in the NCAA Tournament.
11th in KenPom, FSU boasts the eighth best offense in terms of adjusted efficiency and ranks 11th in effective three-point percentage. Their penchant to shoot the lights out has led them to the top of the ACC in scoring in conference play (81 ppg) while counterbalancing that with a defense that ranks sixth in points allowed in league play (69.6 ppg).
Aside from double-digit losses to Clemson and Georgia Tech, the Noles have cruised through conference play, with an 81-60 whipping of Virginia on Feb. 15 as their signature ‘W”.
Record: 16-6, 11-4 ACC
KenPom adjusted offensive efficiency: 10
KenPom adjusted defensive efficiency: 48
ATS: 11-8-2
Over Total: 13-6-2
Odds to win NCAA Championship: +2000
No. 13 UNC-Greensboro
UNC-Greensboro hasn’t had a ton of success since joining the SoCon in 1997 but has had a solid run in recent years. The Spartans followed up their 2020 regular-season with their first conference tournament takedown since 2018 and are looking to make some noise in the NCAA Tournament as an underdog. UNCG is poised to make its fourth-ever NCAA Tournament appearance and will need a strong performance from star guard Isaiah Miller if it hopes to advance past the first round.
Miller became the first player in SoCon history to win both Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the year in back-to-back seasons in his senior campaign. Calling him a player who can do it all might be an understatement. Miller leads UNCG in points (19.3), assists (4), and steals (2.6) per game. While his lowly 21.6% shooting from deep leaves something to be desired, he impacts games like few players in the country can. Miller has scored at least 21 points in five straight games. His ability to keep his hot streak going in the tournament will be crucial to his team’s success.
Record: 21-8, 13-5 SoCon
KenPom adjusted offensive efficiency: 129
KenPom adjusted defensive efficiency: 67
ATS: 17-12
Over Total: 13-15-1
Odds to win NCAA Championship: +20000