On Wednesday, the Grambling Tigers and Montana State Bobcats will battle it out in Dayton, OH to decide which team gets the right to take on the Purdue Boilermakers in the Round of 64 in the NCAA Tournament.
Grambling Tigers vs. Montana State Bobcats (-3.5, 135)
The offensive advantage in Wednesday’s game belongs to Montana State as Grambling ranks 312th in the nation in points scored on a per-possession basis due in large part to its inability to distribute the basketball effectively.
Out of 362 Division schools, Grambling ranks 357th in assist-to-turnover ratio, committing nearly three turnovers for every two assists it distributes. Grambling also ranks 342nd in the percentage of possessions that end in a turnover.
The Tigers face a Bobcats’ defense that ranks 34th in the nation in turnovers forced on a per-play basis in road games while also ranking 98th in opponent 3-point shooting percentage.
Outside shooting carried Montana State to the NCAA Tournament by shooting 42% from 3-point range in its five games in the month of March and overall is shooting 36.4% from 3-point range, which ranks 44th in the nation.
While the Bobcats rank 356th in the percentage of their missed shots that result in an offensive rebound at 19%, Grambling ranks 331st in defensive rebound rate, allowing opponents to grab 31.1% of their missed shots as an offensive rebound.
The most versatile player on the floor is on Montana State’s side as 6-foot-1 Robert Ford III leads the team in most statistical categories with 15.9 points, 7.6 rebounds, three assists, and 2.9 steals per game.
With Grambling still in search of its first non-conference win against a Division I opponent, Montana State will get the program’s first-ever NCAA Tournament victory and face Purdue on Friday.
The Play: Montana State -3.5
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