The San Francisco Dons are set to face the Murray State Racers. Check out our March Madness odds series, which includes our San Francisco Murray State prediction, odds, and pick.
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The San Francisco Dons had spent the past several seasons reliving the same painful story. They would play competitive basketball against Gonzaga and Saint Mary's and BYU in the West Coast Conference but would come up short. San Francisco needed to change the equation in some way to get over the hump and back to the NCAA Tournament, a place it had not been since 1998. The March Madness odds were not in San Francisco's favor entering this season. The Dons — who won national championships in 1955 and 1956 under a guy named Bill Russell, whom you might have heard about — fell on very hard times in the 1980s, briefly resurfaced in the late 1990s, and then went over two straight decades without a single Big Dance appearance. Coach Todd Golden needed to do something of note in the nonconference part of the schedule. Beating Atlantic 10 champion Davidson was a huge win which changed the equation for USF. The Dons won at BYU and then beat BYU again in the quarterfinals of the West Coast Conference Tournament. They also handled their business against the lower half of the WCC. It all added up to a historic NCAA Tournament berth, a game-changer for Golden and his players. It's something to appreciate when making a San Francisco Murray State prediction.
The Murray State Racers, along with the South Dakota State Jackrabbits, did not lose a single conference game all season. Throughout a full conference schedule and then a full conference tournament, Murray State answered every challenge and took every opponent's best punch. The Racers have a formidable up-tempo offense, but where they truly succeed is their dogged, tenacious defense. This team can win high-scoring games, but it can also win ugly slugfests. Murray State won three different games in conference play in which it trailed heading into the final five or six minutes. This is a team which usually dominates inferior opposition, but when games have become thorny and difficult, Murray State has shown great resilience. This is something to remind yourself about when making a San Francisco Murray State pick.
Courtesy of FanDuel, here are the San Francisco-Murray State odds:
March Madness Odds: San Francisco-Murray State Odds
San Francisco: +1 (-110)
Murray State: -1 (-110)
Over: 137 (-110)
Under: 137 (-110)
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Why San Francisco Could Cover the Spread
The Dons are making their first NCAA Tournament appearance in 24 years. They might play really well, in which case they'll probably win.
Why Murray State Could Cover the Spread
The Racers have lost only two games, one of them to Auburn, a No. 2 seed in this tournament. Murray State has played, in truth, only one really bad game all year. The chances of the Racers playing poorly here are low.
Final San Francisco-Murray State Prediction & Pick
Murray State very rarely plays a bad basketball game. That's the simple reason to pick the Racers.
Final San Francisco-Murray State Pick: Murray State -1
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