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Predicting the March Madness 1st Round Matchups in St Louis

By Chris Olszewski

Mar 13, 2016; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Michigan State Spartans guard Denzel Valentine (45) cuts net after winning the Big Ten Championship against the Purdue Boilermakers 66-62 at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 13, 2016; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Michigan State Spartans guard Denzel Valentine (45) cuts net after winning the Big Ten Championship against the Purdue Boilermakers 66-62 at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports /
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Dayton vs. Syracuse

Mar 9, 2016; Washington, DC, USA; Syracuse Orange guard Franklin Howard (1) dribbles the ball as Pittsburgh Panthers forward Jamel Artis (1) defends in the second half during day two of the ACC conference tournament at Verizon Center. The Panthers won 72-71. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 9, 2016; Washington, DC, USA; Syracuse Orange guard Franklin Howard (1) dribbles the ball as Pittsburgh Panthers forward Jamel Artis (1) defends in the second half during day two of the ACC conference tournament at Verizon Center. The Panthers won 72-71. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports /

Syracuse barely made it into this year’s tournament. There are arguments to made that teams like St. Bonaventure, San Diego State, and Valparaiso should be dancing in lieu of the Orange. Arguments aside, they’re here, and they’ll have to prove that they belong. Even if they end up  not going very far in the tournament, a win against Dayton will go a long way to shutting up the doubters. The problem is that one win is going to very hard to come by.

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The Dayton Flyers are a very good basketball team, better than the Orange in almost every aspect. They are 75th in the nation in total field goal percentage, and even better when considering just shots within the three-point line (there they rank 63rd with 52 percent). Dyshawn Pierre, their best player, averages 13. 0 points per game (PPG) and 8.6 RPG, picking up the slack from guys like Schoochie Smith, who can put up double digits on any give night, but isn’t quite there yet on the other side of the ball. Charles Cooke is another name to look out for on the Flyers; whereas Pierre is 1st on the team in rebounds and 2nd in scoring, Cooke is the mirror image: he averages 15.7 PPG and 6.0 RPG.

The Syracuse Orange are an inferior team. But they have a saving grace in the form of a comparable defense. If they can have a good offensive day, then the Orange can come away with the victory. The key for the Orange is for Michael Gbinije and Malachi Richardson to each have better than average games. Gbinije averaged 15.7 PPG and Richardson averaged 13.0 PPG. Dayton only averaged three more points per game than Syracuse. That’s not too hard for Gbinije and Richardson to cover. But it’s unlikely that those two will carry the day by themselves.

Prediction: Dayton Flyers

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