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NCAA Basketball Betting Preview First Four: LIU-Brooklyn vs Radford 

NCAA Basketball Betting Preview First Four: LIU-Brooklyn vs Radford 

Written by on March 12, 2018

NCAAB News and Betting Previews| Xbet.ag
Tuesday night marks the first games of the 2018 NCAA men’s basketball tournament, with eight teams taking part in the “First Four” games at the University of Dayton. LIU-Brooklyn won the NEC Tournament championship in an upset over Wagner and faces Radford, winners of the Big South Conference tournament, in a play-in game for a 16-seed in the Big Dance. Check out our NCAA Basketball betting preview of this Tuesday night matchup.

NCAA Basketball Betting Preview First Four: LIU-Brooklyn vs Radford 

When: Tuesday, March 13, 2018, 6:40pm ET Where: University of Dayton Arena, Dayton, OH TV: truTV Radio: None Live Stream: March Madness Live NCAA Basketball Betting Odds: Radford -4

 Why should you bet on the Blackbirds?

LIU-Brooklyn went into the NEC tournament as the fourth seed but made it to the finals, where they eliminated the top seed and now find themselves in a position to play into a 16th seed. They are a team that wins with offense first, as they scored 77.5 points per game on the season. They give up 75.6 points per game, though, so they need lots of offense in order to come out on top. Their leading scorer is Joel Hernandez, who averages 20.1 points and 5.9 rebounds per game. Raiquan Clark is also in double figures with 17.4 points per game. LIU-Brooklyn has only covered the spread twice in their last eight non-conference games and has failed to cover the spread in any of their last six neutral site games. If you like the Blackbirds here, you think they can ride their tournament momentum and push the ball through Radford’s defense. They’ll need to avoid getting caught in a halfcourt, grinding style of a game.

Why should you put your money on the Highlanders?

Radford took down Liberty in the championship of the Big South tournament, 55-52, and posted a 22-12 record on the season. They win with defense, permitting just 64.4 points per game on the season. Their big scorers are Ed Polite Jr. (13.5 points per game, along with 7.7 boards) and Carlik Jones (11.8 points per game). They roll with an eight-man rotation, so they don’t have a lot of room for foul trouble. Radford has covered the spread in five of their last seven non-conference games — but just three of eight in their last 11 neutral-site games. Radford does well in a game that stays mostly in the halfcourt, so as long as the Blackbirds can’t get things going in a run-and-gun tempo, Radford should win. However, if LIU-Brooklyn can get things into an up-tempo pace, then Radford could be in trouble.

Expert Pick and Final Score Prediction

With the last-minute travel for both teams, there are a lot of variables to consider. Neither team went into the conference tournament as the favorite, although LIU-Brooklyn’s title was more of a surprise than Radford’s. LIU-Brooklyn has the upside here, with the run-and-gun approach to offense that could put them over the top in this play-in. However, Radford has the discipline to play their offense in sets and work the ball around to find the better shot, and if LIU-Brooklyn settles into a halfcourt game, Radford has the defense to keep them from finding a lot of open looks. If you like Radford, you see them controlling the rhythm. The key will be ball security for Radford, because if they turn the ball over a lot then the Blackbirds will get more chances to run the ball down the floor and score — or if Radford doesn’t get back after giving up a defensive rebound. If you like the Blackbirds, then you like the underdog to keep rolling with that momentum and take down the Highlanders by keeping their rhythm up tempo. I predict a final score of LIU-Brooklyn 78, Radford 75
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