Thursday, March 16, 2017

Vivint Smart Home Arena

For Updated Odds on This Game Click Here

The 15 seed North Dakota Fighting Hawks travel to Vivint Smart Home Arena to play the 2 seed Arizona Wildcats on Thursday, March 16, 2017 in the NCAA Tournament. The opening line for this game has Arizona as 16.5 point favorites.

The Fighting Hawks come into this game with an overall record of 19-9. They are 17-9 against the spread and their over/under record is 13-11. The Wildcats have an overall record of 27-4. They have an over/under record of 13-17 and they are 18-14 against the spread.

Quinton Hooker comes into this contest averaging 19.1 points per game while playing 36.1 minutes per night so far this season for the Fighting Hawks. He pulls down 4.6 rebounds per game and dishes out 3.6 assists per game as well. His field goal percentage is 47% while his free throw percentage is currently at 88%. Geno Crandall averages 15.6 points per game in 32.6 minutes per contest this season. He averages 4.3 assists per contest and 4.1 rebounds per game for North Dakota. His field goal percentage is 50% for the year while his free throw percentage is 75%.

Rawle Alkins averages 11 points per game while playing 27.9 minutes per contest this year for the Wildcats. He grabs 5.1 rebounds per game and has 2 assists per contest on the year. His field goal percentage is 45% and his free throw percentage currently is at 73%. Lauri Markkanen averages 15.6 points per game this season and he sees the court an average of 30.5 minutes per contest. He also averages 7.1 rebounds per contest and 0.9 assists per game. His field goal percentage is 49% and his free throw percentage is 82%.

North Dakota averages 80.5 points per contest this season which ranks them 29th in the nation. Their average scoring margin is 7.7 and their shooting percentage is 48% as a team which has them ranked 20th. Behind the arc they shoot 39% which is good for 36th in the country. They average 36.0 rebounds per game and 15.1 assists per game which ranks them 166th and 69th in those offensive categories. In the turnover department they rank 145th with 13.3 per game. The Fighting Hawks allow 72.8 points per game to their opponents which ranks them 198th in the nation. They also allow a 44% shooting percentage and a 35% average from behind the arc ranking them 184th and 196th in those defensive categories. Opponents average 34.9 rebounds a game which ranks 162nd and they give up 11.5 assists per contest which puts them in 51st place in the country. They force 15.2 turnovers per game which ranks them 321st in Division 1.

Arizona averages 76.3 points per game this year which ranks them 108th in Division 1 college basketball. Their average scoring margin is 10.8 and their shooting percentage is 48% as a team which has them sitting in the 36th spot in the country. Behind the arc they shoot 40% which is good for 19th in the nation. They average 36.8 rebounds per game and 13.8 assists per contest which ranks them 118th and 147th respectively. In the turnover department the Wildcats rank 307th with 11.5 per game. The Wildcats allow 65.4 points per game to their opponents which ranks them 37th in the country. They also allow a 42% shooting percentage and a 31% average from behind the arc ranking them 56th and 12th in those defensive statistics. Opponents average 30.0 rebounds a game which ranks 8th and they give up 12.7 assists per contest which puts them in 131st place in the nation. The Wildcats force 11.9 turnovers per game which ranks them 76th in college basketball.

The Fighting Hawks are 84th in the nation in offensive rating at 108.7. They assist on 52.5% of their shots, which ranks 173rd in the country. In terms of pace they average 72.9 possessions per 40 minutes, which places them 43rd among D-1 teams. They are 43rd in effective field goal percentage with 54%. As a team they are 48th in the country in true shooting percentage with 57% and they shoot 3 pointers on 30% of their shots. North Dakota turns the ball over an average of 16.1 times per 100 possessions and they get a steal on 10.7% of their opponents possessions. Their total rebound percentage of 50.7% places them 155th in Division 1 while their offensive rebound percentage is 26.8%.

The Wildcats are 23rd in the nation in offensive rating at 113.3. They assist on 52.6% of their shots, which ranks 170th in the country. In terms of pace they average 67.3 possessions per 40 minutes, which places them 279th among D-1 teams. They are 54th in effective field goal percentage with 54%. As a team they are 39th in the country in true shooting percentage with 58% and they shoot 3 pointers on 31% of their shots. Arizona turns the ball over an average of 15 times per 100 possessions and they get a steal on 8.2% of their opponents possessions. Their total rebound percentage of 55.1% places them 12th in Division 1 while their offensive rebound percentage is 33.3%.

North Dakota Fighting Hawks Betting Trends

The North Dakota Fighting Hawks are 17-9 against the spread

The North Dakota Fighting Hawks are 13-11 against the over/under

Arizona Wildcats Betting Trends

The Arizona Wildcats are 18-14 against the spread

The Arizona Wildcats are 13-17 against the over/under

North Dakota Fighting Hawks Injuries

12/31/16 F Solomon Rolls-Tyson Personal left the team

Arizona Wildcats Injuries

11/17/16 G Dylan Smith Concussion out indefinitely
11/11/16 F Talbott Denny Knee out for season
11/08/16 F Ray Smith Knee out for season

Josh's Pick: Take Arizona -16.5

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