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The NCAA Tournament begins on Tuesday, March 15th with the First Four, and then moves on to the first round on Thursday, March 17 and Friday, March 18. No. 7 seed Murray State will face No. 10 seed San Francisco in the first round on Thursday. Here’s an early look at what we can expect from the Racers and Dons in this year’s March Madness Tournament.
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: Thursday, March 17th
Game time: 9:40 p.m. ET
TV channel: CBS
Location: Indianapolis, Indiana, Gainbridge Fieldhouse
Odds: Murray State -1
No. 7 Murray State
Murray State was one of the best Mid-Majors this season and finished the regular season ranked in the Top 25. One thing that has stood out about the Racers is their scoring. They average 79.3 points per game which ranks 20th in the country. K.J. Williams is averaging 18.2 points and 8.6 rebounds per game. He will be one of the better bigs in the NCAA Tournament.
While there is a ton of hype around WIlliams, Tevin Brown has played stellar as well. The 6-foot-5 guard is averaging 16.9 points, 5.5 rebounds, and three assists per game.
Record: 30-2, 18-0 OVC
KenPom adjusted offensive efficiency: 35
KenPom adjusted defensive efficiency: 40
Against The Spread: 16-12-1
Over Total: 12-17-0
Odds to win NCAA Championship: +15000
No. 10 San Francisco
The Dons are in the same conference as Gonzaga so it was tough to shine with that behemoth of a program. San Francisco finished fourth in the WCC, but were able to pick up a conference tournament win against BYU. In the regular season, the Dons were led by guard Jamaree Bouyea who averaged 16.7 points per game. That average was the fifth-most in the WCC.
Record: 24-9, 10-6 WCC
KenPom adjusted offensive efficiency: 46
KenPom adjusted defensive efficiency: 19
Against The Spread: 13-18-1
Over Total: 16-16
Odds to win NCAA Championship: +20000