First Four: Wright State vs Bryant 3/16/22 College Basketball Picks, Predictions, Odds

The Wright State Raiders and Bryant Bulldogs clash Wednesday night in the First Four of the NCAA Tournament at the UD Arena.

The 16-seed Bryant Bulldogs finished their regular season with an overall record of 22-9 and earned a trip to the NCAA Tournament after winning the NEC Championship. Bryant earned the 1-seed in the NEC Championship after finishing conference play with an overall record of 16-2 and the Bulldogs were outstanding in the Championship game against Wagner, defeating the Seahawks by a 70-43 margin. Bryant went 4-7 in their non-conference schedule with losses to Clemson, Houston, & Cincinnati, however, the Bulldogs were outstanding in conference play and come into this matchup winning 16 of their last 17 games.

On the season, Bryant is averaging 77.9 ppg on 43.7% shooting from the field. The Bulldogs are averaging 8.4 three-pointers per game on 30.8% shooting from beyond the arc. Offensively, Bryant has been led by Peter Kiss (25.1 ppg, 5.8 rpg, 3.3 apg, 1.6 spg), Charles Pride (10.3 ppg, 4.9 rpg), & Hall Elisias (8.8 ppg, 5.9 rpg, 3.0 bpg).

Defensively, Bryant is allowing their opponents to an average of 72.7 ppg on 41.3% shooting from the field. The Bulldogs have a rebound margin of 3.2 and a turnover margin of -1.9.

The 16-seed Wright State Raiders finished their regular season with an overall record of 21-13 and punched their ticket to the NCAA Tournament by winning the Horizon League Championship. Wright State earned the 4-seed for the Horizon League Championship after finishing conference play with a 15-7 record, however, the Raiders played great down the stretch, upsetting the 1-seed Cleveland State Vikings in the Semifinals before defeating the 3-seed Northern Kentucky Norse, 72-71, margin in the Championship games. Wright State went 4-6 in their non-conference schedule, with their only significant victory coming against NC State, however, the Raiders have played well over the past month, winning 10 of their last 13 games.

On the season, Wright State is averaging 75.5 ppg on 46.5% shooting from the field. The Raiders are averaging 6.3 three-pointers per game on 32.9% shooting from beyond the arc. Offensively, Wright State has been led by Tanner Holden (19.8 ppg, 7.1 rpg, 2.6 apg, 1.4 spg), Grant Basile (18.5 ppg, 8.6 rpg, 2.1 apg, 1.6 bpg), Trey Calvin (14.3 ppg, 3.3 rpg, 3.3 apg, 1.6 spg), & Tim Finke (8.6 ppg, 5.1 rpg, 2.6 apg).

Defensively, Wright State is allowing their opponents to average 71.1 ppg on 45.0% shooting from the field. The Raiders have a rebound margin of 1.6 and a turnover margin of 0.6.

The Bulldogs are 4-0-1 ATS in their last 5 games vs. a team with a winning % above .600 & 12-4 ATS in their last 16 games overall. The Raiders are 5-1 ATS in their last 6 games vs. a team with a winning % above .600, however, are just 1-5 ATS in their last 6 neutral site games.

Bryant has been led by their offense which comes into this game ranked 33^rd in scoring offense & 79^th in three-pointers made per game, however, the Bulldogs have struggled giving up points and come into this matchup ranked just 267^th in scoring defense. Wright State has also been led by their offense which ranks 61^st in scoring offense & 50^th in FG%, however, like Bryant, the Raiders have struggled defensively and currently rank just 229^th in scoring defense & 274^th in defensive FG%.

Wright State is a solid team, however, the Raiders have at times been inconsistent at times this season and certainly struggled at the beginning of the season as we saw in losses to Marshall, James Madison, & Akron. Bryant has an outstanding player in Peter Kiss who should have plenty of success in putting up points against a below-average Wright State defense and as I think the Bulldogs offense will be too much for the Raiders, I’m taking Bryant and the points. Good Luck!