2022 NCAA Tournament First Round: No. 1 Baylor Bears vs. No. 16 Norfolk State Spartans
How to Watch:
- Date: Thursday, March 17
- Time: 2:00 p.m. ET
- Location: Dickies Arena in Fort Worth, TX
- TV: TBS
- Live Stream: NCAA.com
Tale of the Tape:
| No. 1 BAY | STAT | No. 16 NSU |
| Big 12 | Conference | MEAC |
| 26-6 | Record | 24-6 |
| 76.5 (52nd) | Points Per Game | 67.1 (79th) |
| 63.6 | Points Allowed Per Game | 63.7 |
| 0.627 (11th) | RPI | 0.508 (153rd) |
| 12th | Strength of Schedule | 357th |
| At-Large | Bid | Automatic Bid |
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Baylor leaders:
- James Akinjo, G, SR: 13.4 PPG, 2.8 RPG, 5.7 APG, 2.1 SPG, 82.5% FT
- Adam Flagler, G, JR: 13.4 PPG, 2.2 RPG, 3.1 APG, 1.1 SPG, 39.3% 3PT
Norfolk State leaders:
- Joe Bryant Jr, G, SR: 16.8 PPG, 5.1 RPG, 3.3 APG, 1.4 SPG
- Kris Bankston, F, SR: 11.3 PPG, 6.9 RPG, 1.2 BPG 71.3% FG
BAY vs. NSU Odds, Lines, and Past Performance:
- BAY Moneyline: -3800
- NSU Moneyline: +1600
- Spread: BAY -20.5
- Over/Under: 137.5
- ATS Record: BAY 16-14-2, NSU 17-9-1
- Over/Under Record: BAY 17-14-1, NSU 12-15
Odds courtesy of Draftkings. For the latest odds, click here.
The Pick:
- Common sense would say that Baylor, a national title contender, would win this game with relative ease.
- This might be a pretty slow game, with the Bears ranking 167th in adjusted tempo and the Spartans coming in 187th. The Spartans are also one of the big three-point defenses in the nation, which could make the under a bit enticing.
- Baylor has six players who score at least 8.4 points per game and are likely gearing up for a deep run in the tournament, so we may see a lot of Baylors’ depth in the second half of this game if the lead gets large. Meanwhile, Norfolk State is led by mainly seniors, so you’d have to expect their coach to let those guys get as much time on the court as possible in what could be their final game.
- Baylor’s leading scorer LJ Cryer has been battling injury for much of February, so we don’t know how much of him we’re likely to see in the tournament. If anything, he’d likely only get a few minutes here to make sure he doesn’t get rusty.
