These stud NCAA Tournament players, now coaches, face off in First Four

First Four

At Dayton, Ohio

No. 16 North Dakota State vs. No. 16 North Carolina Central

▪ When, TV: 5:40 p.m., truTV

▪ Of note: The winner gets tournament top seed Duke, and if it’s North Carolina Central that will be a neighborhood battle with about four miles separating the schools in Durham, N.C. It’s the third straight First Four for Central, winners of the MEAC tournament and the Eagles seek their first victory in the event. Central is led by big man Raasean Davis, who leads the team in scoring at 14.6 and rebounding at 8.9. The Bison like to shoot from deep with10 players who have made at least 10 three-pointers. Guard Jared Samuelson has hit 46 percent of his triples.

▪ Line: North Dakota State by 5

▪ Prediction: North Dakota State 70-67

No. 11 St. John’s vs. No. 11 Arizona State

▪ When, TV: 8:10 p.m., truTV

▪ Of note: Chris Mullin was an All-America at St. John’s, and helped the Johnnies to the 1985 Final Four. Arizona State’s Bobby Hurley was a two-time NCAA champion at Duke. The winner here takes on No. 6 seed Buffalo. Guard Shamorie Ponds (19.5 points, 5.2 assists) leads a Red Storm offense that averages 78 points per game. The Sun Devils are a balanced scoring team that holds opponents to 41.1 percent floor shooting. It’s Arizona State’s second straight trip to the First Four after falling to Syracuse last year.

▪ Line: Arizona State by 1 1/2

▪ Prediction: Arizona State 80-73

This story was originally published March 19, 2019 at 2:10 PM with the headline "These stud NCAA Tournament players, now coaches, face off in First Four."