The No.16-seeded Fairleigh Dickinson Knights (18-14) play the No.16-seeded FGCU Eagles (20-13) in the of the NCAA tournament at University of Dayton Arena. Action gets underway at 6:40 pm ET on Tuesday, Mar. 15 and will air on TRU.
The Knights come into this game hoping to repeat their last performance, defeating Wagner 87-79 in the 3 of the Northeast tournament. Darian Anderson was the game’s high scorer with 28 points on 8-for-16 shooting. The Eagles, meanwhile, are coming off an 80-78 win over Stetson in the 3 of the Atlantic Sun tournament. Antravious Simmons claimed his second double-double of the season with 21 points and 12 rebounds.
Over the last five games, Anderson and Earl Potts Jr. have been better than usual for the Knights. During that stretch, Anderson has averaged 18.8 points, 5.4 rebounds, 4.0 assists, 1.6 steals, and 1.8 three-pointers. Not to be outdone, Potts Jr. has put up 19.4 points, 8.4 rebounds, 1.6 assists, 0.6 steals, and 2.8 three-pointers. Marc-Eddy Norelia has also upped his play in the same span, averaging 20.8 points, 10.6 rebounds, 1.6 assists, 1.4 steals, and 0.8 blocks while leading the Eagles.
The Knights come into this game 18-14 Straight Up (SU) and 2-1 Against The Spread (ATS). Fairleigh Dickinson’s defenders rank 41st in Division I in steals with 7.6 per game.
On the other side, the Eagles have 20-13 SU and 4-5-1 ATS records. FGCU is one of the top shooting teams in the country, hitting .477 of its shots from the floor. The Eagles are a force on the boards, grabbing an average of 40.2 rebounds per game. FGCU’s three-point defense is one of the top in the country, with opponents shooting only .302 from the three. One advantage for the Eagles could be Fairleigh Dickinson’s high fouls per game average of 21.7.
Fairleigh Dickinson and FGCU have not played one another in a regular season matchup in recent years.
Predictions: SU Winner – FlaGC, ATS Winner – FlaGC
Notes
The FGCU Eagles have a defensive rating of 99.9 (ranked 61st), while the Fairleigh Dickinson Knights have an offensive rating of 107.6 (ranked 136th).
The Fairleigh Dickinson Knights average 72.4 possessions per game and 1.076 points per possession, while the FGCU Eagles earn fewer possessions (70.4) but more points per possession (1.094).
Fairleigh Dickinson has an average effective field goal percentage of 52.1%. FGCU is an underachieving 3-5 when opponents have a similar or higher effective field goal percentage.
The Fairleigh Dickinson Knights average 19.0 three point attempts per game and are 9-6 when attempting at least 20 in a game. The FGCU Eagles average 14.0 attempts and have a winning record (3-1) when attempting 20 or more.
Fairleigh Dickinson ranks 187th in offensive rebounds, while FGCU ranks 20th in defensive rebounds.
FGCU makes 6.6 steals per game. When Fairleigh Dickinson allows 6 or more steals, the team has an even 9-9 record.
