The Columbia Lions (21-10) and Norfolk State Spartans (17-16) meet in the first round of the CIT tournament at Francis S. Levien Gymnasium. Action begins at 7:00 pm ET on Wednesday, Mar. 16.
The Lions were beaten by Yale 71-55 in their last game. Maodo Lo was the team’s high scorer with 21 points. The Spartans, meanwhile, are coming off a close 67-65 loss at the hands of South Carolina State in the 3 of the Mid-Eastern tournament. Jordan Butler accounted for 14 points, five rebounds, and two blocks.
The Lions enter the game with records of 21-10 Straight Up (SU) and 10-11-1 Against The Spread (ATS). The Lions are a high-volume three-point shooting team with 9.0 made per game, one of the highest marks in Division I. Columbia is one of the most disciplined teams in the nation with an assist-to-turnover ratio of 1.34. Expect Columbia to have lots of opportunities at the line against the Spartans, who are one of the most foul-prone teams in the nation with an average of 21.6 fouls per game.
Over on the other bench, the Spartans have a record of 4-6 ATS and 17-16 SU. The Spartans convert their free throws at a high percentage, ranking third in the nation at .775.
Columbia and Norfolk State have not played one another in a regular season matchup in recent years.
Predictions: SU Winner – Colum, ATS Winner – Colum
Notes
“Columbia is 11-2 SU in its last 13 games at home”.
“Columbia is 4-2 ATS in its last 6 games “.
Norfolk State lost its last game by a two-point margin. In games decided by a margin of three points or less, Columbia is 3-4. Norfolk State is 0-3 in close games this season.
The Columbia Lions have a defensive rating of 103.0 (ranked 90th), while the Norfolk State Spartans have an offensive rating of 108.1 (ranked 120th).
The Columbia Lions average a field goal percentage of 45.4% this season. The Norfolk State Spartans are a winless 0-11 when opponents have a FG% of 45.4% or greater.
The Columbia Lions and the Norfolk State Spartans both rank higher in average effective field goal percentage when compared to their field goal percentages. Columbia is 108th and 38th in the nation for FG% and eFG% respectively, while Norfolk State is 250th and 227th in these categories.
Columbia ranks 94th in assists, registering 14.5 per game. Norfolk State performs worse at 265th with 12.2 assists per game.
Norfolk State, the 24th-ranked team in blocked shots, registers an average of 5.2 per game. Columbia ranks lower at 172nd with 3.4.
On average, Norfolk State forces a turnover rate of 19.6%. When Columbia turns over the ball at a similar or higher rate, the team has a superb 7-2 record.
