Norfolk State vs. Appalachian State Odds For NCAA Tournament First Four

#16 Norfolk St. vs. #16 Appalachian St. Odds

How Norfolk St. & Appalachian St. Match Up

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What To Know About Norfolk State

Norfolk St. boasts one of the deepest and experienced rosters in the entire country. The Spartans offense is extremely efficient in the pick-and-roll, and they have four players that shoot over 40% from 3. Overall, Norfolk ranks 23rd in the nation in 3P% but 297th in 2P%.

The Spartans are very reliant on the 3-ball and getting to the line for their offensive output. Defensively, they press and play a “floppy zone” (combination of a 3-2 matchup zone, 2-3 zone and man-to-man) with the objective of confusing opponents and forcing tough outside shots. On the season, opponents have attempted 3s at the 10th-highest rate in the country and haven’t had much success when firing. Norfolk will be one of the lowest-seeded teams in the tourney and almost certainly be slotted into the 16-seed play-in game. This info is relevant for that game because they have no chance against (likely) Gonzaga if they advance to the main bracket.

What To Know About Appalachian State

The Mountainners are undersized and lack depth, but are extremely well coached and rely on a suffocating on their suffocating half-court defense. The offense gets stagnant at times, but can be dangerous if Justin Forrest, Michael Almonacy and Adrian Delph get hot from the perimeter for an offense that relies heavily on the three. Unfortunately for the Mountaineers, they project as a 16 seed, which spells doom in this top-heavy season. That said, I could see head coach Dustin Kerns cooking up a gameplan to keep Appalachian State inside a big number in the first round, especially if James Lewis (who got hurt late in the season) is fully healthy. — Stuckey