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Fairleigh Dickinson vs Prairie View A&M Odds & Madness First Four Pick.

Fairleigh Dickinson vs Prairie View A&M Odds / Live Stream / TV Channel, Date / Time & March Madness First Four Pick

Written by on March 18, 2019

NCAA Basketball Betting News

Tuesday’s First Four of the 2019 March Madness action from Dayton opens with a matchup of No. 16 seeds and conference champions as Fairleigh Dickinson takes on Prairie View A&M. The winner will then be a huge college basketball betting underdog in the first round against Gonzaga.

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Fairleigh Dickinson vs Prairie View A&M Odds & Madness First Four Pick

Why Bet on Fairleigh Dickinson?

The Knights beat St. Francis (Pa.) in the Northeastern Conference Tournament championship game to earn the automatic bid. All five Knights starters scored in double figures for the 11th time this season led by senior guard and NEC Tournament MVP, Darnell Edge’s 21 points. Junior Kaleb Bishop amassed his second double-double of the season with 20 points on 8-of-10 shooting and 11 rebounds. Sophomore Jahlil Jenkins poured in 20 points, classmate Elyjah Williams scored 12 points with four blocked shots and senior Mike Holloway Jr. netted 12 points with a career-high five assists.

The starting five also scored all 85 of the Knights’ points in the win. As a team, the Knights shot a season-high 63.8 percent from the field, 7-of-13 from three-point range and drained 18-of-20 at the line. At the defensive end, the Burgundy and Blue blocked eight shots — their second-highest output this season.

With the win, the Knights extended their winning streak to eight and have now won 14 of their last 16 games. Five of the team’s six NEC Championships have now come as the No. 2 seed. The Knights (20-13) are back in the NCAA Tournament for the second time since 2016 and the sixth time in program history.

The Knights led the NEC in FG% (47.3%), 3-PT FG% (40.0%), scoring margin (4.0), Assist/Turnover ratio (1.1), steals (7.8) and turnover margin (1.3). Their 40 percent clip from behind the arc is fifth in the nation and their 47.1 percent field-goal percentage is 43rd. All-NEC First Teamer Edge led the NEC in both 3-pt FG% (46.9%) and FT% (88.5%). His 46.9 percent three-point clip is sixth best in the nation. Point guard Jahlil Jenkins leads the NEC in Assist/TO ratio at 2.3 and is third in assists (4.7/g).

Team Stats

  • Points Per Game: 75.4
  • Rebounds Per Game: 32.9
  • Assists Per Game: 14.1
  • Points Allowed: 71.3

Why Bet on Prairie View A&M?

Prairie View A&M was the SWAC regular-season champion at 17-1 and beat Texas Southern 92-86 in the conference tournament title game. That game was back-and-forth all day. It would be tied one last time at 85-85 when four straight made free throws from Taishaun Johnson and Devonte Patterson pushed the Panthers ahead 89-85. Three more made free throws coming from Jones closed the game out with a 92-86 victory.

Gary Blackston and Dennis Jones both led with 17 points apiece. Gerard Andrus followed with 12 points, six rebounds, and one assist. Johnson and Darius Williams also contributed with 11 points apiece. The championship is the second in program history and the first since 1998.

Both Patterson and Blackston were named to the All-SWAC First Team, while Jones was named Defensive Player of the Year in the SWAC.

Fairleigh Dickinson vs Prairie View A&M is going to be a close one.

Jones, a 6-1 senior guard, is considered the team’s best on-ball defender, usually drawing the opposition’s top perimeter player as a defensive assignment. He leads the league in steals at 2.0 per night and is a proven option in late games for the Panthers. He leads the Panthers defense that led the league in steals per game (8.6) and turnovers per game at (18.1).

Patterson has been a physical presence on the inside for the team that has made an immediate impact on the court. The 6-foot-7 junior is second on the team in scoring at 12.0 points per game, he averages 4.5 rebounds per game and is fifth in the league at 1.5 steals per game. Patterson has had 15 games with 10 or more points and is shooting 47.4 percent from the field.

Blackston was named second-team all-conference. The senior is the team’s leader and third in the conference in scoring at 15.3 points per game. He is the team leader tied for fifth in rebounding at 7.7 boards per game and named one-time SWAC Player of the Week. Blackston has 22 games with double-digit point totals and six 20-point games. He reached 1,000 career points earlier this season against Grambling State on February 18 in the Panthers’ 92-87 victory.

Team Stats

  • Points Per Game: 75.0
  • Rebounds Per Game: 33.1
  • Assists Per Game: 12.6
  • Points Allowed: 72.5

Expert Final Prediction for Fairleigh Dickinson vs Prairie View A&M

Fairleigh Dickinson wins by 6.

2019 March Madness Expert Betting News

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