The March Madness bracket is set, and now it’s a race to get your picks sets without making that critical mistake that can bust your bracket before the Round of 32 even tips off.
The 8 vs. 9 games are traditionally the trickiest part of that process, as you are picking between two teams that are proven but also have visible weaknesses. We’ve already previewed the No. 8 Kentucky vs. No. 9 Kansas State game and predicted the No. 8 Gonzaga vs. No. 9 Oklahoma State game, and now it’s on to the East region’s preview featuring No. 8 Memphis and No. 9 George Washington.
The Memphis Tigers haven’t had much success in the NCAA Tournament under head coach Josh Pastner, but they stand a good chance of improving their record when they welcome the George Washington Colonials back to the Madness after a six-year tournament hiatus.
[sc:MarchMadness ]Memphis Tigers vs. George Washington Colonials (March 21, 6:55 PM EST)
Line: Memphis Tigers (-3) vs. George Washington Colonials (+3); total 142.5
Betting on the Memphis Tigers
[sc:NCAAB240banner ]Memphis faltered down the stretch, going just 4-3 in their last seven regular season games. That brought the Tigers’ conference record down to 12-6 and 23-9 overall. They also failed to get over the very first hurdle in the AAC tournament, losing 72-53 to a strong Connecticut team.
Still, Memphis put together some season highlights. The Tigers narrowly lost 77-75 to the highest-ranked team in the nation, the Florida Gators, at Madison Square Garden back in December. They were also the only team to claim two victories over Louisville this season.
Memphis prides itself on great ball movement (17 assists per game, 3rd most in the country) and forcing turnovers (8.7 steals per game). Six Tigers average 9 or more points per game. They will need to bring all those skills if they hope to bust out of a NCAA tournament streak that has seen them bounced in the Round of 64 in two of the last three years.
Betting on the George Washington Colonials
After a six-year absence, George Washington is back in the Big Dance. The Colonials went 24-8 overall and 11-5 in the Atlantic-10 this season, good for a share of third place. They won their final three games of the regular season and their opening conference tournament game against Massachusetts before falling 74-55 to VCU.
The Colonials’ biggest win by far this season was their 60-53 victory over Creighton in early December, in a game in which they held Doug McDermott to a season-low seven points on 2-12 shooting. George Washington has five players scoring over 11 points per game this season, led by senior guard Maurice Creek (14.3 PPG).
Prediction
These two teams both have balanced scoring, so the difference will come down to the possession game, where Memphis has the edge with its ability to create turnovers. Take them at -3 on the spread or -155 on the moneyline to push past George Washington and into the Round of 32.
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