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The No.3-seeded Miami (FL) Hurricanes get together with the No.11-seeded Wichita State Shockers in the second round of the NCAA tournament at Dunkin’ Donuts Center. The game begins at 12:10 pm ET on Saturday, Mar. 19 and can be seen on CBS.
The Hurricanes enter this game hoping for similar success after topping Buffalo 79-72 in the First Round. Angel Rodriguez was the game’s high scorer with 24 points on 6-for-15 shooting. The Shockers, meanwhile, are coming off a 65-55 win against Arizona in the First Round. Fred VanVleet shot 5-for-13 and led in scoring with 16 points.
This showdown pits one of the nation’s top offenses against one of its elite defenses, as Miami (FL) currently ranks 18th in the nation in offensive efficiency and Wichita State is first in defensive efficiency.
The Hurricanes are looking to build on their records of 26-7 Straight Up (SU) and 18-13-1 Against The Spread (ATS). The Hurricanes are an exceptional shooting team from the line with a .751 free throw percentage, one of the highest marks in Division I. Crossing over to the defensive side of the court, opposing offenses have been stifled by the Hurricanes, allowing a field goal percentage of only .428.
On the other side, the Shockers have a record of 20-11-1 ATS and 26-8 SU. The Shockers rarely make costly errors handling the ball. They have the 22nd-best assist-to-turnover ratio in the country at 1.45. Shifting to the other side of the court, the Shockers allow very few three-pointers on defense with 5.0 given up per game.
Miami (FL) and Wichita State have not played one another in a regular season matchup in recent years.
Predictions: SU Winner – Wich, ATS Winner – Wich
Notes
“Miami is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games “.
“Miami is 10-3 SU in its last 13 games “.
“The total has gone OVER in 4 of Miami’s last 6 games “.
The Wichita State Shockers rank 69th for their offensive rating of 110.8. The Miami (FL) Hurricanes have a defensive rating of 101.2 (ranked 39th).
The Miami (FL) Hurricanes average a field goal percentage of 47.6% this season. The Wichita State Shockers have split their games this season (1-1) when opponents have a FG% of 47.6% or greater.
The Miami (FL) Hurricanes average 18.0 three point attempts per game, and the Wichita State Shockers attempt 22.0 per game. When going for at least 20 three pointers in a game this season, both teams have winning records; Miami (FL) is 13-3 and Wichita State is 14-8.
The Miami (FL) Hurricanes make an average of 6.0 steals per game. When the Wichita State Shockers allow 6 or more steals, they are a solid 7-3.
