The First Four tips off on Tuesday night and March Madness will officially begin. The first matchup of the night is between Northeast Conference champions, St. Francis, and SWAC champions, Alabama State. The winner of that game will take on the No. 1 overall seed, Auburn, in the Round of 64. In the second matchup of the night, North Carolina takes on San Diego State in a matchup between two great programs. These are the best player props to explore for both of those games.
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UNC at San Diego State Best Prop Bets
These two teams were both somewhat controversial additions to the field but that does not take away from how exciting this matchup should be. UNC has had issues this season but by net rating, it is still the 33rd-best team in the country. It is led by superstar guard RJ Davis, who is one of the most experienced players in college basketball. Davis has been to two Sweet 16s and a National Championship Game during his career so he is not worried about the bright lights of March. Davis averaged 19.3 PPG during three games in last year’s tournament and he should take the role of primary scorer in this game as well. San Diego State’s Magoon Gwath is the Mountain West Defensive Player of the Year and is a big seven-footer in the paint. That will make it hard for UNC to score inside, forcing Davis to shoot from the perimeter and rack up points.
Best Bet: RJ Davis 17+ Points (-105)
Saint Francis vs. Alabama State Best Prop Bets
Saint Francis is the worst team in the field by net rating. It ranks 311 in the nation, compared to the second-worst team, Alabama State, which ranks 273rd. Saint Francis finished the regular season with a losing record but managed to go on a run to win the Northeast Conference. That being said, Alabama State should be able to score against the Red Flash. Saint Francis has really poor defensive metrics, ranking 293rd in the country in defensive rating. CJ Hines is an experienced senior guard who led Alabama State in scoring in the regular season and the conference tournament. Hines scored at least 15 points in all three games of the SWAC Tournament last week. Hines should take the ball and the responsibility of advancing his team to the Round of 64. My favorite prop bet is for him to continue that trend of scoring 15 points in each game of the postseason.
Best Bet: CJ Hines 15+ Points (-105)
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