Know your opponent - North Dakota State

[OUFireman]

Watched some highlights against Akron and it doesnt look like they defend the three point line very well. Akron had a few threes where it didnt look like there was a defender in the same zip code. But, Akron is huge inside, maybe that had something to do with it.

 

[campbest]

Feel pretty good about this match-up.

 

[pnkranger]

The line is only 4 points and lots of people are picking them, so I'm a little concerned, but when I look at that body of work, it's pretty atrocious and I'm surprised they were given a 12 seed.

Hell, we didn't do anything out of conference and our resume still compares pretty favorably. Wins over Mercer and Tulsa are about as good as anything they have.

How many teams have more wins against the rest of the field than we do? We're 10-6 by my count.

We are definitely one of the most underestimated teams in the country.

 

[MercedeSooner]

5 of the 6 CBS guys picked NDSU. The only one that picked OU was Dennis Dodd.

Since we're a 5 seed people are going to be picking the upset almost by default regardless of the matchup. If we play our game we'll win, everything else is white noise.

 

[dahldennsull]

Watched some highlights against Akron and it doesnt look like they defend the three point line very well. Akron had a few threes where it didnt look like there was a defender in the same zip code. But, Akron is huge inside, maybe that had something to do with it.

From ESPN:
Bad stat: 38.4 three-point percentage D
NDSU sits in the bottom 30 in all of Division I here. If you want to shoot well from the outside against them, then you likely will. Opponents hit an average of almost seven 3s against them per game, including a season-high 15 from Denver in the regular season finale. If they run into a team that has multiple options from the outside, look out.

 

[Zimwillett]

Watched some highlights against Akron and it doesnt look like they defend the three point line very well. Akron had a few threes where it didnt look like there was a defender in the same zip code. But, Akron is huge inside, maybe that had something to do with it.

In fairness, the NDSU vs. Akron game was last season.

That said, other than the 5/12 deal, I don't see why so many pundits like this upset. I don't recall and couldn't find any pre-tournament chatter about NDSU being a potential "bracket buster." I see nothing all that impressive in their body of work. They don't seem to present any real matchup problems for OU. I freely admit my bias, but I just don't see it.

In the end, I really don't feel like people are picking this upset because they believe NDSU is a high-quality 12 (e.g. Oregon last year) as much they're just picking against OU. And that's basically how it's been all season.

 

[OUFireman]

Your right Zim, my bad, living in the past, LOL.