Morgan State University (#15, South, Kansas City pod)
vs. Oklahoma (#2)
Thur. 3/19 at about 9:40 pm
Vegas Line: +16
General Profile
Location: Baltimore, MD
Conference: Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference, automatic bid
Coach: Todd Bozeman, Overall Record: 58-40
08-09 Record: 23-11 (14-3)
Last 12 Games: 11-1, won 5.
Best Win: 66-65, University of Maryland, 1-7-09
Worst Loss: 63-58, Florida A&M University, 1-17-09
Off. Efficiency Rating: 99.3 (210th)
Def. Efficiency Rating: 97.4 (92nd)
Nuts n Bolts
Star Player(s): Reggie Holmes, 16.9 ppg, 37.3 3pt%
Unsung Hero: Kevin Thompson, 8.9 ppg, 7.0 rpg
Potential NBA Draft Pick(s): None
Key Injuries: No significant injuries.
Depth: 20.4% mins. (336th nationally)
Achilles Heel: Poor Free Throw Shooting. Only 66 percent as a team.
Will Make a Deep Run if…: They stretch the Oklahoma defense and shoot well from three-point range
Will Make an Early Exit if…: Blake Griffin takes more than seven shots.
NCAA History
Last Year Invited: First Bid in School History
Streak: n/a
Best NCAA Finish: n/a
Historical Performance vs. Seed (1985-present): n/a
Other
Six Degrees to Detroit: Todd Bozeman once coached Jason Kidd, who had several epic battles against the Detroit Pistons as a member of the New Jersey Nets.
Distance to First Round Site: 963 Miles
School’s Claim to Fame: Coached by former Cal Bear coach Todd Bozeman, who was banned from NCAA competition for eight years for improper payments to players.
School Wishes It Could Forget: N/A
Prediction: Morgan St. will shoot and defend well in the first half, but jitters will enable Oklahoma to pull away late.
Major RTC stories: 27 Down, 38 To Go
Preview written by: JC of HBCUSportsblog.com.