The day wouldn’t have been complete without at least one upset. The No. 11 Dayton Flyers made some noise in an otherwise quiet Saturday when they bounced No. 6 Providence from the NCAA Tournament. Another upset for the Flyers may be a difficult proposition, though, considering they face a solid Oklahoma side next.
Are there more upsets to come in March Madness? Check out our complete previews for Gonzaga vs. Iowa and Louisville vs. Northern Iowa, both featuring a couple of live underdogs.
[sc:MarchMadness ]March Madness No. 3 Oklahoma Sooners vs. No. 11 Dayton Flyers Preview
Where: Nationwide Arena, Columbus, Ohio
When: Sunday, March 22, 6:10 PM ET
Line: No. 3 Oklahoma Sooners vs. No. 11 Dayton Flyers – view all March Madness lines
Betting on the Oklahoma Sooners
Senior TaShawn Thomas played in his first ever NCAA Tournament game. He made sure it was a memorable one, finishing with 18 points, five rebounds, two assists, four blocks and a steal to lead No. 3 Oklahoma to a 69-60 victory over the 14th-seeded Albany Great Danes in the second round of the NCAA tournament Friday night.
[sc:NCAAB240banner ]Oklahoma’s leading scorer Buddy Hield contributed on the offensive end as well, chipping in 15 points on 6 of 16 shooting from the field. Isaiah Cousins (12.0 PPG) had a relatively quiet game, finishing with six points on 2-of-8 shooting. But he splashed a three-pointer with two seconds left on the shot clock to put Oklahoma ahead for good with 3:18 remaining.
Don’t expect Cousins to keep quiet for long. He’s Oklahoma’s best three-point shooter, splashing 45 percent of his shots from downtown. Before he went 2-for-6 from deep against Albany, he had shot 10-of-20 from beyond the arc in his previous four games. Dayton has allowed at least one opposing player to shoot 43 percent or better from downtown over its last three games.
The Sooners should also be well-equipped to dominate the boards. Ryan Spangler is averaging 10.8 rebounds over his last five games. He’ll have a favorable matchup against Dayton, which ranks 300th in the nation in rebounds, averaging just 31.5 boards per game.
Despite winning seven of their last 10 games, the Sooners have gone just 2-8 against the spread.
Betting on the Dayton Flyers
An 11th-seeded Dayton was a surprise entrant in the Elite Eight last season. Can they achieve the same amount of success this time around? Yes they can, especially with the way they played No. 6 Providence in the Round of 64 Friday night.
The Flyers were solid on defense, limiting Providence to 53 points on a measly 34 percent shooting. They had eight steals and four blocks as they forced Providence into 16 turnovers. Kyle Davis had an excellent night in this regard, finishing with nine rebounds and five steals. He’ll be quite a test against Oklahoma and its season average of 12 turnovers per game.
Dayton wasn’t too shabby on its attack either. Dyshawn Pierre, Jordan Sibbert and Scoochie Smith each scored in double digits. Pierre finished with 20 points on 6-of-10 shooting (3-of-6 from downtown) to lift Dayton to the upset win.
The Flyers may struggle to find their shots against a suffocating Oklahoma defense. The Sooners have limited opponents to just 39 percent shooting from the field this season. But Dayton should earn plenty of trips to the line. Dayton has drawn fouls on 30 percent of its possessions, 18th in the nation.
Dayton has won four of its last six games, but has gone just 2-4 against the spread.
Writer’s Prediction
Oklahoma ekes out a tight win. There’s still plenty of Madness to come. Create a betting account now and punch a ticket into the Big Dance.
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