Stetson vs. UConn March Madness Preview and Prediction
In the No. 16 vs. No. 1 matchup in the NCAA Tournament East Region, the Stetson Hatters face the Connecticut Huskies in first-round action.
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How to Watch Stetson vs. UConn
When: 2:45 pm ET on Friday, March 22nd
Where: Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York
Watch: CBS
Odds for Stetson vs. UConn
(odds current at time of publish)
Spread: UConn -26.5
Total: TBA
DraftKings Betting Splits | Live College Basketball Odds | Stetson vs. UConn Matchup
East Region No. 16 Stetson Hatters
Stetson will be one of the lousier teams in the tournament, and that’s mostly because of the team’s defense. The Hatters are near the very bottom of the NCAA in adjusted defensive efficiency. So, they’re going to have a hard time getting stops against arguably the best team in the country. However, Stetson can shoot the 3-ball. So, perhaps Jalen Blackmon, who averages 21.5 points per game, can lead the charge and try to out-gun the Huskies. The Hatters actually do a decent job of defending the 3, so they can potentially cause some problems if they get scorching hot themselves. But they have the wrong first-round opponent, as the Huskies can do pretty much everything at a high level.
East Region No. 1 UConn Huskies
Last year’s championship-winning UConn team finished the season third in the nation in adjusted offensive efficiency and ninth in adjusted defensive efficiency. This year’s Huskies team has a nearly identical statistical profile. That gives UConn legitimate hope that it can be the first team to go back-to-back since Florida did it in 2006 and 2007. The Huskies are as well coached as any team in the nation, with Dan Hurley being a master motivator and an Xs-and-Os tactician. UConn also has two potential lottery picks in Stephon Castle and 7-foot-2 big man Donovan Clingan. On top of that, the Huskies have win-now players with experience like Tristen Newton, Cam Spencer and Alex Karaban.
Stetson vs. UConn Preview & Prediction
The path to a title defense for UConn begins with Stetson, the Atlantic Sun champs who have never met a 3-point shot they don’t like. The Hatters were actually a top-100 team in both 2P% and 3P% this season, but they don’t force any turnovers and don’t play a whole lot of defense. That seems like a bad combination taking on UConn, the overall No. 1 seed in the tournament and a top-10 team in both offensive and defensive eFG%.
The Huskies allowed over 1.1 points per possession five times this season, including the game against St. John’s in the Big East Tournament. In 34 games this season, Stetson allowed over 1.1 PPP on 20 different occasions. In 34 games, UConn had over 1.1 PPP on offense in 25 of them.
If the Hatters go lights out from 3 (36.5% for the season), they’ll make this game reasonably interesting for a while, but UConn’s title defense really starts in the second round with the winner of Northwestern/Florida Atlantic. If the chalk holds up in the 12/5 and 13/4 games, we’ll either get a title game rematch against San Diego State or an extremely fascinating, and relatively dangerous, game against Auburn in the Sweet 16.
Estimated Score: UConn 85, Stetson 60
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