The No. 15 Georgia State Panthers (24-10) challenge the No. 2 Cincinnati Bearcats (30-4) in the First Round of the NCAA Tournament at Bridgestone Arena. The game gets underway at 2 p.m. ET on Friday, March 16, 2018.
The Over/Under (O/U) for the game opened at 130 points with Cincinnati set as a 14-point favorite.
Georgia State Panthers vs. Cincinnati Bearcats Betting Prediction
The Panthers will be looking for similar success after topping the UT Arlington Mavericks in the , 74-61. Georgia State’s 0.518 effective field goal percentage was their largest strength over UT Arlington, who had a mark of 0.333. The Panthers’ mark was below their season average of 0.543, while the Mavericks’ was below their season average of 0.528. Georgia State was lifted by D’Marcus Simonds, who was the game’s high scorer with 27 points on 8-for-19 shooting.
In the , the Bearcats edged the No. 21 Houston Cougars, 56-55. The Bearcats had a great free throw rate of 0.261 (above their season average of 0.252) and held the Cougars to an effective field goal percentage of 0.409 (below their season average of 0.543). Gary Clark was the game’s leading scorer with 20 points on 5-for-8 shooting.
The game should be a showdown of strength against strength as the high-powered offense of Cincinnati (37th in the nation with an offensive efficiency of 113.2) takes on the top-notch defense of Georgia State (56th in the nation with a defensive efficiency of 99.3). Also, the Panthers commit the 45th-fewest errors in the NCAA (turnover percentage of 16.6 percent), while the gambling defense of the Bearcats causes the 19th-most (opponents’ turnover percentage of 22.5 percent).
Georgia State Panthers vs. Cincinnati Bearcats Pick
Prediction: SU Winner – Cincinnati, ATS Winner – Georgia State, O/U – Over
Notes
Betting Notes:
Cincinnati averages 38.9 rebounds per game, which ranks 27th in the NCAA. Georgia State ranks 233rd in rebounds allowed per game (36.8).
The Bearcats rank 105th in three pointers allowed per game (20.6) while the Panthers rank 293rd (25.6).
Cincinnati ranks 35th in assists per game (16.0) while Georgia State ranks 169th (13.3).
The Bearcats rank ninth in blocks per game (5.5) while the Panthers rank 122nd in blocks allowed per game (3.4).
Cincinnati ranks 49th in steals per game (7.3) while Georgia State ranks 17th in steals allowed per game (4.9).
Bettings Trends:
The Panthers’ average margin of victory in their last five games has been 8.6, up from 8.0 for the season.
During their last five games, the Bearcats have scored an average of 65.4 points per game (9.1 below their season average) and allowed an average of 55.2 points per game (1.9 below their season average).
