The right to tip off against No. 1 seed Gonzaga is on the line as the Prairie View A&M Panthers and Fairleigh Dickinson Knights collide at Dayton Arena in their First Four play-in game. Both teams are peaking at the right time as Fairleigh Dickinson has won eight straight games, while Prairie View is on an 11-game winning streak. The Panthers won the last meeting with the Knights in 2012 but are a 1.5-point underdog with the total Sportsbook at 149 points.
Prairie View vs Fairleigh Dickinson Game Center
Standout Stats
- Both teams have been red-hot down the stretch, each winning its conference tournament, with Prairie View going 11-0 SU and 8-3 ATS in its last 11 contests, while Fairleigh Dickinson is 8-0 SU and 7-1 ATS in its last eight. The Panthers have an average winning margin of 14.55 through their winning streak and the Knights have an average winning margin of 13.5 in their last eight.
- These squads have been on opposite sides of the total down the stretch as the total has gone UNDER in four of Fairleigh Dickinson’s last five, but the total has gone OVER in six of Prairie View’s last seven. Only the NEC tournament final went OVER 149 points in the Knights’ last five, while just two of the Panthers’ last seven went UNDER 149 points.
- Fairleigh Dickinson and Prairie View had nearly identical offensive and defensive stats this season as the Panthers chipped in 74.8 points per game and the Knights averaged 74.7. On the defensive side of the ball, Fairleigh Dickinson surrendered 72.5 ppg and Prairie View was slightly behind at 72.7 ppg allowed.
- The offensive approach is a little different for the two teams, though, as Prairie View looks to pound the ball inside the arc and get to the line, while Fairleigh Dickinson will pull up from beyond the arc a lot more frequently. That being said, the Knights have a big advantage in overall shooting percentage, hitting 47.4 percent of their attempts from the floor while the Panthers only have a 43.5 overall shooting percentage. Defensively, the teams are fairly even with Fairleigh Dickinson’s foes shooting 44.9 percent from the floor and Prairie View’s opponents hitting 45.3 percent of their shots.
- Neither team is great on the boards, ranking in the bottom 100 in the nation, but the Panthers average one more rebound per game than the Knights at 33.2. Additionally, ball possession could be an issue for Fairleigh Dickinson as it averages 13.4 giveaways per game and Prairie View averages the second-most takeaways per game at 17.9.
My Best Bet FOR Prairie View vs Fairleigh Dickinson
Prairie View +1.5
These teams are very evenly matched and they are both rolling with big winning streaks on the line. I think the Panthers’ offense is a little more repeatable, getting the ball inside the arc and getting to the line, while the Knights will try to take more three-point attempts. Additionally, Fairleigh Dickinson has had an issue with turnovers this season and Prairie View ranks second in the nation in takeaways per game.
