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NCAA Tournament: 3 reasons Noles will roll past UNC-Greensboro

By Kelvin Hunt

WASHINGTON, DC - MARCH 31: A view of a hallway leading toward the team entrance area prior to the game between the Michigan State Spartans and the Duke Blue Devils during the 2019 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament East Regional Final at Capital One Arena on March 31, 2019 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Lance King/Getty Images)
WASHINGTON, DC - MARCH 31: A view of a hallway leading toward the team entrance area prior to the game between the Michigan State Spartans and the Duke Blue Devils during the 2019 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament East Regional Final at Capital One Arena on March 31, 2019 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Lance King/Getty Images) /
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FSU basketball rolling past UNC-Greensboro in the first round of the NCAA Tournament probably caught some eyeballs of Nole fans.

The way the Noles have played the last few games of the regular season and ACC Tournament, it wouldn’t be a shock to see them fall in the first round.

After all, March Madness has already started with multiple upsets in the first round, including No. 15 Oral Roberts knocking off No. 2 seed Ohio State.

The ACC hasn’t fared well, with North Carolina getting destroyed, Virginia Tech losing in overtime, Georgia Tech, and Clemson losing in the first round.

Yes, I know FSU doesn’t play well on the road, and the Spartans average over seven steals per game. However, I don’t expect the Noles to lose to UNC-Greensboro Saturday afternoon, and here are three reasons the Noles will roll past the Spartans:

  • UNC-Greensboro doesn’t do much well at all
  • FSU’s offense should feast on their defense
  • Noles have more weapons

When I look at UNC-Greensboro in the KenPom rankings, they are No. 103 overall, and their best category is points allowed per possession. That area ranks No. 64, and FSU’s offense is the No. 11 offense in terms of efficiency and No. 18 overall.

UNC-Greensboro’s offense is ranked No. 128, and they only shoot 30 percent from the three-point line as a team. They make 68 percent of their free-throws and make 42.6 percent of their field goals overall.

The Spartans have one player averaging double figures in senior guard Isaiah Miller, and he only makes 63 percent of his free-throws, and 21 percent of his three-point attempts.

At 6’1″, if he’s someone they can’t contain off the dribble, they should foul him and make him earn those points at the charity stripe. He’s also their leading rebounder at 6.9 per game.

Parting Thoughts

Their top three leading scorers are 6’1″ 6’4″, and 6’0″, so that’s a tremendous size disadvantage going up against FSU. The Noles have multiple offensive weapons that can erupt at different points in the game and can light it up from the three-point line.

They have the size to attack the Spartans in the paint, and this game shouldn’t be close if the Noles avoid the ridiculous turnovers. If they can’t do that against UNC-Greensboro, the Noles deserve to watch the rest of the NCAA Tournament from the couch. FSU opened as -11 point favorites and the betting line moved to -10.5 according to the Action Network. More bets have come in on UNC-Greensboro and the line hasn’t moved, so I expect the Noles to take this game and likely cover the spread.

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