The Yale Bulldogs finished the Regular season by going 1-2 in their last three games, but they were able to shake that off by winning the Ivy League tournament. They topped Princeton by a score of 83-77 and then followed that up with a 95-87 win over Harvard. Now they have their sights set on taking down a powerhouse from the SEC. Do not sleep on this team. Their defense may not be strong, but they have an offense that can keep pace with anyone in the country. The Bulldogs come in ranked 82nd in the nation by KenPom and they have faced the 186th ranked schedule. When asked about his thoughts on making it to the Big Dance, head coach Jones responded with…
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The Bulldogs have averaged 87 ppg over their last three games and scoring 97 on Harvard is quite feat as that team always plays solid defense. Yale shot a whopping 60.4% from the fields overall and they were 28/30 from the charity stripe and despite the tempo, they play at, the Bulldogs turned the ball over just seven times. Leading their attack was Alex Copeland (13.8 ppg), who had 25 points. The defense struggled in the win, as they allowed 85 points on 45.5% shooting, but they did limit them to just 10/32 (31.2%) from long range. Keep an eye on Miye Oi (17.6 ppg), who is one of the best all-around players in the Ivy League. He had 17 in the win over Harvard.
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Yale enters this game ranked 24th in the nation in scoring, putting up 81.1 ppg, while also ranking 6th in FG% (49.8%), 46th in 3-point shooting (37.2%) and 78th in free throw shooting (73.6%). At the defensive end of the floor, they have been below average as they come in ranked 230th in points allowed, giving up 73.2 ppg, while also ranking 46th in defensive FG% (41.1%) and 33rd in 3-point defense (31.2%).
Tigers Look To Shake Off Tough Loss To Gators
The LSU Tigers had a heck of a season as they went 26-6 overall and finished atop the SEC standings with a 16-2 record. They could not parlay that into an SEC Tournament title, though, as they fell to the Florida Gators in the quarterfinal round by a score of 76-73. The Tigers had won their previous five games in a row and nine of their previous 10, so they will be looking to get back on track. LSU is making their 22nd appearance in the Big Dance, but the first time since 2015. They have made it to four Final Fours in their history, with the last one coming back in 2006. LSU comes in ranked 18th by KenPom and they have faced the 40th ranked schedule.
Back to the game against the Gators. The Tigers had a 10 point lead at the half but were outscored 51-38 after the break. The defense has not been good for them and that could be a problem against the high-scoring Bulldogs. The Gators were just 8/26 from long range and they missed 10 free throws, but they also shot a solid 46.4% from the field overall and Florida still outscored the Tigers 16-7 from the charity stripe. The Tigers shot 47.6% from the field overall, but they were just 6/19 from beyond the arc. Leading their attack was Naz Reid, who had 26 points and grabbed 14 boards. Tigers were without HC Wade for the game as he has been suspended due to possible recruiting infractions and hew will not be coaching this game either. Tony Benford will be leading the troops in this one.
FREE PICK: LSU -7.5 over Yale