March Madness 2019: Predicting the First Round upsets

CHICAGO, IL - MARCH 15: Ohio State Buckeyes forward Andre Wesson (24) looks on in action during a Big Ten Tournament quarterfinal game between the Ohio State Buckeyes and the Michigan State Spartans on March 15, 2019 at the United Center in Chicago, IL. (Photo by Robin Alam/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /

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LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – MARCH 16: Ivan Aurrecoechea #15 and C.J. Bobbitt #13 of the New Mexico State Aggies celebrate after winning the championship game of the Western Athletic Conference basketball tournament against the Grand Canyon Lopes at the Orleans Arena on March 16, 2019 in Las Vegas, Nevada. New Mexico State won 89-57. (Photo by Joe Buglewicz/Getty Images) /

12 New Mexico State Aggies over 5 Auburn Tigers

Winners of the SEC Tournament, Bruce Pearl’s Auburn Tigers are dangerous when they are firing on all cylinders. This was certainly shown in the conference championship game when they were hitting shots from all over the floor and put a hurting on the Tennessee Volunteers to the tune of a 20-point victory. This Auburn team does this with the way that they shoot from 3-point range.

The Tigers shot 1,012 attempts from long range this season, one of the highest marks in college basketball. Just as impressive, they hit on 37.6 percent of those 3-point attempts as a team. However, it’s an accurate assessment to say that they 100 percent live and die by the long ball. That makes you susceptible in the NCAA Tournament.

It also makes them especially susceptible when they come up against like the New Mexico State Aggies, as they do in the First Round of March Madness. This Aggies team has had tremendous success this season (posting a 30-4 record on the year) because of how extremely deep they are. They have nine players who all play over 14 minutes per game and no one plays more than 25.4 minutes per contest either.

That type of depth should allow the Aggies to play suffocating perimeter defense without tiring down. Furthermore, it gives New Mexico State a bevy of options to find success on the offensive end of the floor, which Auburn can’t really say at this point. Thus, we’ll call for Auburn to go a little cold in this one and fall short against the Aggies.

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