Farleigh Dickinson Knights vs Texas Southern Tigers Prediction: A vital Play-in game

The NAA Play-in tournament during March Madness is on and this is being termed the First Four. Thus, it will be interesting to see which teams are going to make it to the First Round of the tourney. In this First Four game, Texas Southern Tigers are going to take on Farleigh Dickinson Knights. 

The Tigers didn’t have the most alluring record entering the Play-n situation and had lost 20 and won just 14 games. Their offense struggled throughout the season and they had shot just 42.7% for the season and had one of the worst offensive ratings in the nation. Their defense was decent but their offensive impact undermined that side of the floor consistently. They were among the top 11% of the teams when it came to rebounding and this aspect held them together. Davon Banes, John Walker, PJ Walker, and Joirdon Karl Nicholas all averaged over 10 points a game but overall, the team lacks a dependable first option.

Farleigh finished with a record of 19 wins and 15 losses in the NEC MBB Conference. The team averaged almost 78 points per game and this made them a top-50 team in terms of scoring average. A big boost was given by the below six feet guard pair of Demetre Roberts and Grant Singleton who combined for an average of more than 30 points and 7+ assists. Wing Ansley Almonor averaged almost 14 a game making a complete scoring trifecta. Although the offense was their strong suit, defensively there were some issues. The team allowed the seventh-worst field goal percentage(out of 363) and gave up almost 48%.

This is a battle between a team that shot a high percentage in Farleigh and a team that shot a very low percentage in Texas Southern. Defensively, Farleigh had their struggles and their guard duo doesn’t present much size which can open up opportunities for Texas Southern. However, I’d back Farleigh’s efficient offense to pull one off here. I think the scoring range will be 141-150 here.