The Jacksonville Dolphins and the Bellarmine Knights face off in the ASUN Tournament on Wednesday afternoon. The game tips off at 12:00 p.m. ET in Jacksonville, Florida.
The Knights are listed as 1.5-point favorites on DraftKings Sportsbook, with the total set at O/U 145.5 points. Below is my full preview, prediction and pick for this ASUN Tournament college basketball matchup.
Jacksonville vs. Bellarmine prediction, preview
The No. 8 seed Bellarmine is taking on the No. 9 seed in Jacksonville in the opening game of the ASUN Tournament. The winner of this game will have to take on the No. 1 seed Central Arkansas in the next round. This is a de facto home game for the Dolphins, as the tournament is taking place in Jacksonville. That is one bright spot for the Dolphins, who are 8-4 at home but 3-14 on the road this season. The games will take place in a bigger arena in Jacksonville, rather than the Dolphins’ normal home court. However, the lack of travel could still have a positive impact for a team that has struggled so much on the road this season. The player to watch for Jacksonville is Hayden Wood. The freshman guard is averaging just 11.5 points per game this season, but ended on a strong note. Wood scored at least 22 points in three of the team’s final four games.
Bellarmine, similarly to Jacksonville, was awful on the road this season. The Knights sported a 2-13 road record this season. This game won’t have much of a crowd at noon on a Wednesday for the first round of the ASUN Tournament. However, any crowd that is there is likely to be Jacksonville fans. This is much more of a road game for Bellarmine than it is for the Dolphins. Bellarmine needs to find a way to win after ending the season on a horrible run. The Knights lost five of their last six games to drop in the ASUN standings ahead of the tournament. They will be leaning heavily on star senior forward Jack Karasinski, who is leading the conference in scoring this season with 21.3 points per game.
Jacksonville vs. Bellarmine pick
My best bet is on Bellarmine to win the game. While this is somewhat of a home game for Jacksonville with no travel, playing in a mostly empty arena that is not your normal home floor does not provide the same advantage. Bellarmine was the better team all season, but hit a tough skid down the stretch. The Knights did win their final regular-season game against a good Austin Peay team, which should have inspired some confidence. Jack Karasinski scored 38 points in that game, and he will be the best player on the floor today.
Jacksonville ranks 275th in the nation in defensive rating. Meanwhile, Bellarmine ranks 75th in the nation in offensive rating. Bellarmine has by far the best individual scorer and is the much more efficient offense as well. In March, having that elite scorer who can get buckets when needed late in the game is so important. Bellarmine has that guy, and it should be the difference in the game.
