NCAA Tournament Round One Pick: #8 Syracuse vs #9 Baylor
Orange and Bears Promise an Even Match
Our Syracuse vs Baylor preview and pick offers the Orange at -1.5. This is the final game, the 16th, to be played on the first day of Round One of the 2019 NCAA Tournament. Look for it to tip off in the West Region on Thursday, March 21 at 9:57 pm ET. The eighth-seed Syracuse Orange (20-13) finished sixth in the Atlantic Coast Conference. They lost to Duke 84-72 in the conference quarterfinal round. The ninth-seed Baylor Bears (19-13) finished fourth in the Big 12 Conference. The Bears then lost to Iowa State 83-66 in the Big 12 Conference Tournament’s quarterfinal round.
Syracuse
Our Syracuse vs Baylor preview finds that the Orange have a fine contingent of players. Tyus Battle is leads the club in points per game with 17.2. Forward Oshae Brissett top the team in rebounds with 7.5 per game. He’s putting up 12.4 PPG. Elijah Hughes, also a forward, is second in points per game. He’s been good for 13.4 per contest. The team is averaging 69.7 PPG, 34.8 RPG, and 12.0 APG. They have a decent defense that’s good for 8.3 SPG. The Orange free throw rate if 68.1%, while they are hitting 42.4% of their field goals and 33.0% of their threes.
Baylor
Baylor forward Tristan Clark and guard Makai Mason are each averaging 14.6 PPG. Clark is good for 6.3 RPG, while Mason is averaging 3.3 APG. Two guards, Mario Kegler and Jared Butler, are averaging 10.7 and 10.1 PPG respectively. Kegler is taking down 6.0 RPG. Our Syracuse vs Baylor preview notes that the Bears’ free throw percentage of 67.4 is low. Baylor is connecting on 44.0% of their field goals and 34.0% of their threes. They are grabbing 38 RPG, making 13.8 APG, and scoring 71.7 PPG.
NCAA Tournament Round One: Syracuse vs Baylor Preview Pick
Our Syracuse vs Baylor preview thinks this will be a close contest. We like the edge that Battle gives the Orange. Percentage-wise the Bears are slightly better. However, we are taking the Orange in this final March 21 game at -1.5.
Summary West Region, First Round Syracuse vs Baylor Preview & Pick: Syracuse Orange at -1.5
