CENTRAL FLORIDA vs. VCU, 9:40 p.m.
Pick: Central Florida (-1)
This is prime-time matchup between two of the best defenses in the nation. The UCF Knights haven’t made the tournament since 2005 and are seeking their first tournament win. The VCU Rams are considered regulars but haven’t made an appearance since 2016.
The Knights (23-8, 13-5) managed to snatch key victories over Cincinnati and Houston to secure their spot. The hype of UCF is around big man Tacko Fall. Fall, standing at 7-foot-6, led the nation in field goal percentage (75.4%). Aubry Dawkins and B.J. Taylor averaged a combined total of 31 PPG. The Knights are 18-12-1 ATS on the season.
The Rams (25-7, 16-2) managed to snatch an at-large bid after falling short to Rhode Island in the A-10 quarterfinals. Marcus Evans leads the team in scoring averaging 13.8 PPG and 1.8 SPG. Overall, the Rams finished 20-11-1 ATS and 10th in the nation in overall defense (61.6 PPG).
This game will be determined on which team manages to get over 50 points first. VCU has the edge on defense, but UCF has more weapons on offense at their disposal. I’m hedging my bet that VCU has never dealt with anyone like Fall which should give UCF the edge.