Appalachian St. vs Norfolk St. Pick: West Region First Four, March 18th

Appalachian State vs Norfolk State Pick – Thursday, March 18th – West Region First Four: Appalachian State comes into Thursday night’s First Four meeting with Norfolk State with a 17-11 record, and are 14-9-1 ATS, and have gone Under the betting total in 13 of their 24 games this season. They take on a Norfolk State team that is 16-7 on the season, with a 12-8-1 ATS record, and have gone Over the betting total in 12 of their 21 games this season. The two teams meet on Thursday night for a chance to face College Basketball powerhouse Gonzaga in the first round of March Madness.

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Appalachian State: Appalachian State were the surprise winners of the Sun Belt Conference Tournament, defeating Georgia State 80-73 as 7 point underdogs. Senior Michael Almonacy went for 32 points in the win. He averaged 12.9 points and 4.2 rebounds per game on the season. He plays with much more confidence than he did when we last saw him two years ago with Stony Brook. He’s one of four Mountaineers averaging double digits and Adrian Delph 13.2, Justin Forrest 13.0, and Donovan Gregory at 10.7. App State had a five-game losing streak in mid-February before winning five of their last six to close out the season. They struggle shooting at times, hitting 41.5% from the field, 32.45 from three, and 73.7% from the stripe.

Norfolk State: Norfolk State defeated Morgan State 71-63 on Saturday in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Tournament championship game to earn its first NCAA Tournament bid in nine years. This is the first NCAA berth under eighth-year coach Robert Jones. Norfolk State closed the season on a seven-game winning streak. Joe Bryant led the way scoring 17 points; he averages 15.5 on the season. Kashaun Hicks added 14. He averages 8.2. Leading scorer Senior Devante Carter went for 12 points, 7 boards and 5 assists. He averages 15.5 points per game, with 5.3 boards and 4 assists per game on the season. Norfolk State hit 43.6% from the field, have strong perimeter shooting averaging 36.8% from three, and hit 70.6% from the stripe.