The Norfolk State Spartans (16-7) take on the Appalachian State Mountaineers (17-11) in a West Region First Four game Thursday night. Tip-off will be at 8:40 p.m. ET at Assembly Hall in Bloomington, Ind. Below, we analyze the Norfolk State-Appalachian State odds and lines, with March Madness NCAA Tournament picks and predictions.
Norfolk State carries a six-game win streak into its first tournament game since 2012. The Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference champion struggles in shooting the ball inside the perimeter, but the Spartans knock down 3-pointers at a hefty 36.8% clip and get to the free-throw line with great frequency. The triples and singles add up: NSU ranked second in MEAC scoring at 75.2 points per game.
Appalachian State turned around a late-season slide to win four straight games in the Sun Belt Conference Tournament. The Mountaineers scored two overtime wins in that tourney. The winner of Thursday’s NSU-ASU game will advance to take on No. 1 Gonzaga Saturday night.
Appalachian State vs. Norfolk State: Odds, spread and lines
Odds via BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports’ betting odds for a full list. Lines last updated Wednesday at 9:35 p.m. ET.
- Money line: Appalachian State -160 (bet $160 to win $100) | Norfolk State +135 (bet $100 to win $135)
- Against the spread/ATS: Appalachian State -3 (-110) | Norfolk State +3 (-110)
- Over/Under: 133.5 (O: -110 | U: -110)
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Appalachian State vs. Norfolk State: Odds, lines, predictions and picks
Prediction
Norfolk State 65, Appalachian State 62
Money line (ML)
The Mountaineers have played the tougher schedule this season and they endured a five-game losing streak from Jan. 29-Feb. 23. Since then, ASU has won five of six games; three of those wins were of the OT variety.
The Spartans are much the better 3-point shooting squad and perimeter defense is a blind spot for Appy State. NSU is on a solid momentum swing.
TAKE NORFOLK STATE (+135).
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Against the spread (ATS)
NSU is 8-1 ATS since Jan. 30. That includes a six-game ATS win streak.
TAKE NORFOLK STATE +3 (-110).
Over/Under (O/U)
The Spartans have played tremendous defense of late in holding opponents to a 37.8% mark from the floor and forcing 17.0 turnovers per game in six games since Feb. 13. Norfolk has come up with a respectable (and improved) 3.7 blocks per game over that same span. The Under is 4-1 on their last five games with a projected total.
Add in Appalachian State’s slow tempo, and there is value to be leveraged on the UNDER 133.5 (-110).
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