March Madness action doesn’t get better than a neck-and-neck battle between eighth- and ninth-seeded teams in the opening round, with the Saint Joseph’s Hawks and Cincinnati Bearcats about to provide the drama from the West Region of the tournament this Friday night.
Both schools operate with contrasting philosophies, so this showdown will certainly be as captivating as advertised. And with that out of the way, let’s now take a closer look below as for how the Hawks and the Bearcats size up against one another.
Still craving for more NCAA tournament coverage? Then head on over to our previews for Utah vs. Fresno State and Dayton vs. Syracuse right after this.
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March Madness No. 8 Saint Joseph’s vs. No. 9 Cincinnati Preview
Where: Spokane Veterans Memorial Arena, Spokane
When: Friday, March 18, 9:55 PM ET
Line: Saint Joseph’s Hawks (+1.5) vs. Cincinnati Bearcats (-1.5); total: 136.5 – view all March Madness lines
TV Broadcast: truTV
Betting on the Saint Joseph’s Hawks
21-year head coach Phil Martelli and his No. 8 St. Joseph’s Hawks from Philly are certainly feeling (or Phil-ing?) confident entering March Madness. They finished fourth in their conference during the regular season, but reeled-off outstanding wins over Dayton and VCU to ultimately win the Atlantic 10 conference championship.
Thanks in large part to their pair of big studs in Isaiah Miles and DeAndre Bembry, the Hawks have the nation’s 57th-best scoring offense (77.6 PPG). Miles – the conference tournament’s Most Outstanding Player – averages 18.4 points and 8.1 boards per contest, while A-10 Player of the Year awardee Bembry is putting up nearly 17 points, seven rebounds and 4.5 assists each night.
That imposing frontcourt tandem has got to shine and produce on Friday to end the Hawks’ March Madness woes. The last time that they advanced from the opening round of the tournament was in 2004.
Then again, St. Joe’s made it all the way to the Elite Eight that same year. A rout of the Bearcats on Friday will get add even more fire to the team’s already-sizzling momentum, which bodes really well for another surprising push at the Big Dance.
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Betting on the Cincinnati Bearcats
The Cincinnati Bearcats follow one simple formula in their annual March Madness bids: win 20 games, secure tourney berth.
Over the past six years, Cincinnati finished each season with 20 or more victories and made the cut for the Big Dance in all of those campaigns. This time around, the Bearcats boast the 10th-best scoring defense in the nation (62.9 points allowed per game) while holding their opponents to just 39-percent shooting from the field.
Although the team’s D is certainly stingy, it goes without saying that Cincinnati is just as capable of putting up big numbers on offense. Four of the team’s starters average in double-digits beginning with standout guard Troy Caupain, who scored a career-high 37 points in the quadruple-OT loss to UConn in the AAC tournament’s quarterfinals.
Caupain (team-best 13.2 PPG) is joined by Fared Cobb, Gary Clark and Octavius Ellis as the three other players capable of providing solid offense for the Bearcats. Clark and Ellis are a couple of beasts in the post as well, averaging 9.0 and 7.7 rebounds per contest this season, respectively.
It’s interesting to note that Cincinnati has a lifetime record of 3-1 against St. Joseph’s, though their last encounter was way back in 1969. A better measure of team’s success at the Big Dance might be as for where the NCAA selection committee pits them in the tournament right from the get-go. The Bearcats have a respectable 5-2 record playing in the West region of the bracket.
Writer’s Prediction
St. Joe’s (+1.5) earns its first win at the opening round of the Big Dance since 2004.
