The Coastal Carolina Chanticleers have made it to the Big Dance again, after winning the Big South conference title. However, their stay may be a short one as waiting for them in Omaha are the No. 1 Wisconsin Badgers, who are looking to start their National Tournament campaign with a bang. Will the Chanticleers be reduced to the role of sacrificial lambs again? Or are they about to make a miracle this coming Friday?
Read on below for a detailed preview of this game. You can also click here for our preview of No. 7 Wichita State vs. No. 10 Indiana.
[sc:MarchMadness ]March Madness No. 16 Coastal Carolina Chanticleers vs No. 1 No. 1 Wisconsin Badgers Preview
Where: CenturyLink Center, Omaha
When: Friday, March 20, 9:20 PM ET
Line: Coastal Carolina Chanticleers (+19.5) vs. Wisconsin Badgers (-19.5); total: 129.5 – view all NCAA Basketball lines
Betting on the Coastal Carolina Chanticleers
The Chanticleers have been in this scenario just last year, as a No. 16 seed team facing a heavyweight in the first round of the Big Dance. And this time, they’re hoping that they’ll be lucky.
[sc:NCAAB240banner ]Obviously, taking down Wisconsin is not an easy task for Coastal Carolina, but it’s not impossible either. To upset Wisconsin, the Chanticleers will have to exert tremendous effort in containing Frank Kaminsky, Wisconsin’s focal point on offense. They’ll likely gang up on Kaminsky, particularly on the rebounding battle, which will be a huge factor in this game for Coastal Carolina. The Chanticleers’ must try to control the game’s tempo by using their elite rebounding that is fifth in the nation (26.5 RPG) to keep Wisconsin from pulling away. The Chanticleers are also 56th in the nation in defense, having limited their previous opponents to just 61.7 points per game.
Players to watch out for Coastal Carolina are Warren Gillis and Badou Diagne. Gillis is the team’s leading scorer with 13.1 points per game, while Diagne is the top rebounder with 9.6 rebounds per game.
Last year, the Chanticleers lost to No. 1 seed Virginia in the Round of 64, 70-59, in a game where they even had the guts to have a five-point lead at halftime.
Coastal Carolina is 2-1 ATS in three games as an underdog thus far this season.
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Betting on the Wisconsin Badgers
After escaping Michigan State’s stiff challenge in the Big Ten title game, Bo Ryan and his boys are now ready to make a splash on the national stage. Wisconsin enters the National Tournament with records of 5-0 SU and 4-1 ATS in its last five games overall.
The Badgers are No. 1 seeds in the tournament for a number of reasons. One of those is their efficient offense that has wrecked a lot of teams in their path. Wisconsin is 67th in the nation in points with 71.9 per game on an awesome 48 percent shooting. When adjusted for efficiency, the Badgers are making 124.7 points per 100 possessions.
At the center of Wisconsin’s offense is Kaminsky, who’s averaging 18.2 points per game. He’ll be a big headache for the Chanticleers, who’ll have to deal with the big man’s versatility. Aside from being a solid low-block operator, Kaminsky can shoot the ball from the outside too, as he is averaging 39.5 percent from the three-point area. Completing Wisconsin’s solid three-forward set-up are Sam Dekker and Nigel Hayes, who are putting up 13.0 and 12.4 points per game respectively.
Writer’s Prediction
Wisconsin (-19.5) wins, 74-58.
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