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NCAA Tournament Predictions: 4. Saint Louis vs. 13. New Mexico State
- Updated: March 18, 2013
Guard Kwamain Mitchell
4 Saint Louis (27-6, 13-3 Atlantic 10)- Rick Majerus would be proud of this team. The legendary coach, who died in December of heart failure, spent six years molding Saint Louis into a gritty, gutty defensive team before passing away in December. SLU has dedicated this season to his memory, and new coach Jim Crews has done a tremendous job of keeping them focused and mirroring the ideals Majerus-led teams stood for.
The rugged Billikens dominated the Atlantic 10 this season, winning both the regular season and tournament title. Since starting out 3-3, Saint Louis is 24-3. They’ve done it with defense. SLU held opponents to just 26 percent shooting from the three-point line in its previous 10 games. Four players average in double figures in scoring. Dwayne Evans, Cody Ellis, Kwamain Mitchell, and Mike McCall Jr. can all fill it up, and Jordair Jett averages 9.3 per. Beyond that, the Billikens are loaded with experience, as most of their rotation guys are juniors and seniors. Senior point guard Kwamain Mitchell is their emotional leader.
KEY STATS:
17th Points Allowed (58.1)
27th Steals Per Game (7.5)
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Sim Buhllar (Albuquerque Journal).
13 New Mexico State (24-10, 14-4 WAC)- The Aggies are one of the must-watch teams in this NCAA Torunament, if for no other reason than 7-5, 355 pound freshman (you read that right) Sim Bhullar. He’s so big that his sneakers almost take up the entire space between the free throw line and the top of the key. Bhullar isn’t a stiff, either, he averages 10 points and 7 boards per game and plays 24 minutes per contest.
Four players average in double figures, led by sophomore guard Daniel Mullings, who like Bhullar, comes from Toronto. 6-8 senior Bandja Sy leads the team in rebounding at 7.3 boards per game.
KEY STATS:
46th Rebounds Per Game (37.6)
46th Field Goal Percentage (.461)
PREDICTION: Saint Louis
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