2022 NCAA Tournament First Round: No. 7 Murray State Racers vs. No. 10 San Francisco Dons
How to Watch:
- Date: Thursday, March 17
- Time: 9:40 p.m. ET
- Location: Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, IN
- TV: CBS
- Live Stream: NCAA.com
Tale of the Tape:
| No. 7 MUR | STAT | No. 10 SF |
| Ohio Valley | Conference | West Coast |
| 30-2 | Record | 24-9 |
| 79.3 (19th) | Points Per Game | 77.1 (45th) |
| 62.3 | Points Allowed Per Game | 67.0 |
| 0.6032 (21st) | RPI | 0.5997 (24th) |
| 235th | Strength of Schedule | 79th |
| Automatic Bid | Bid | At-Large Bid |
BetMGM is offering new customers a chance to win $200 if any team hits a 3-pointer in the NCAA tournament. You just have to place one $10 bet. Click here for more info.
Murray State leaders:
- KJ Williams, F, JR: 18.2 PPG, 8.6 RPG, 1.5 SPG, 54.2% FG
- Tevin Brown, G, JR: 16.9 PPG, 5.5 RPG, 3.0 APG, 38.9% 3PT
San Francisco leaders:
- Jamaree Bouyea, G, SR: 16.7 PPG, 5.1 RPG, 4.0 APG, 1.8 SPG
- Yauhen Massalski, F, SR: 13.5 PPG, 9.4 RPG, 2.2 BPG, 59.6% FG
Odds, Lines, and Past Performance:
- MUR Moneyline: -120
- SF Moneyline: +100
- Spread: MUR -1
- Over/Under: 136.5
- ATS Record: MUR 16-18-1, SF 13-18-1
- Over/Under Record: MUR 12-17, SF 16-16
Odds courtesy of Draftkings. For the latest odds, click here.
The Pick:
- It’s a shame these two schools are meeting in the first round because both have the profile to be a trendy Cinderella pick and make some noise in this tournament.
- This is the Racers’ third trip to the NCAA tournament in the last five years which gives them the slight advantage in terms of experience, but the Dons have played the tougher schedule during the year, so they should be ready for a primetime showdown.
- The Racers will want to slow the game down, ranking 246th in adjusted tempo, which suits their physical defense (40th in efficiency) and fundamentally-sound offense (35th). However, the Dons play at a faster pace, ranking 89th in adjusted tempo, but are still able to put the clamps down on defense, ranking 19th in adjusted efficiency, so this might be a bit of a defensive struggle.
- The Racers will benefit from taking care of the ball a little better, averaging only 11.4 turnovers per game, compared to 12.9 a game for the Dons, a byproduct of their faster pace.
- Adding to the incredibly close nature of this game is the fact that both teams are little back-to-back in three-point shooting percentage, which the Dons shooting 35.4% from beyond the arc (T-84th) and the racers shooting 35.3% (T-92nd). Whichever team is able to take care of the ball and get their long-range shots to fall should have the inside track here.
