No. 7 seed Murray State will take on No. 10 seed San Francisco on Thursday night in a first-round matchup in the East Region of the 2022 NCAA Tournament bracket. The Racers are on a 20-game winning streak and are now 30-2 on the season, while San Francisco went 24-9 and earned an at-large bid after finishing fourth in the tough WCC. Murray State has been a fixture of March Madness in recent years, making three of the last four NCAA Tournaments. Meanwhile, San Francisco, who won back-to-back titles in 1955 and 1956 with Bill Russell, is making its first appearance since 1998.
The game will be played at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis and tipoff is scheduled for 9:40 p.m. ET. The Racers are two-point favorites with the over-under at 137 in the latest Murray State vs. San Francisco odds from Caesars Sportsbook. Before making any San Francisco vs. Murray State picks, be sure to check out the college basketball predictions and betting advice from SportsLine's proven computer model.
The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every Division I college basketball game 10,000 times. Over the past five-plus years, the proprietary computer model has generated an impressive profit of almost $1,500 for $100 players on its top-rated college basketball picks against the spread. Anyone who has followed it has seen huge returns.
Now, the model has set its sights on Murray State vs. San Francisco and revealed its coveted picks and predictions for the NCAA Tournament 2022. You can head to SportsLine to see all of the model's college basketball picks. Here are several college basketball odds and trends for San Francisco vs. Murray State:
- Murray State vs. San Francisco spread: Murray State -2
- Murray State vs. San Francisco over-under: 137 points
- Murray State vs. San Francisco money line: Murray State -140, San Francisco +120
- Murray State: The Racers are 1-4 ATS in their last five games
- San Francisco: The Dons are 4-1 ATS in their last five games
Why Murray State can cover
The Racers are three years removed from Ja Morant's epic triple-double in a first-round win over Marquette in 2019 and have an opportunity to match the program record of 31 wins with a victory on Thursday. Murray State set that record when Steve Prohm was the head coach in 2011-12 and also won an NCAA Tournament game that season, but the program has never been to the Sweet 16.
Matt McMahon certainly believes that his program will have a shot with a well-balanced roster. KJ Williams is a 6-foot-10 big who is averaging 18.2 points and 8.6 rebounds per game, while Tevin Brown is a 6-foot-5 wing who averages 16.9 points per game and Justice Hill is a 6-foot point guard scoring 13.2 points per game while dishing out 5.0 assists. Murray State ranks 16th in the nation in scoring (79.3) and 21st in scoring defense (62.3).
Why San Francisco can cover
San Francisco also had an impressive season and got into the NCAA Tournament as an at-large bid thanks to resume-enhancing wins over Davidson, UAB and Arizona State. Without Massalski in the lineup, the Dons will be extremely guard-oriented, but that shouldn't be a huge problem as they have one of the best backcourt tandems in the country and great overall depth at the position.
Jamaree Bouyea averaged 16.7 points, 5.1 rebounds and 4.0 assists per game this season while Khalil Shabazz averaged 14.0 points, 3.1 rebounds and 2.2 assists. Italian guard Gabe Stefanini and Julian Rishwain also play important minutes for the club, giving San Francisco a quartet of guards they can rely upon during a stage of the season where guard play is more valuable.
How to make San Francisco vs. Murray State picks
SportsLine's model is leaning over on the point total, projecting the teams to combine for 143 points. The model also says one side of the spread hits well over 80 percent of the time. You can only see the model's pick at SportsLine.
So who wins Murray State vs. San Francisco? And which side of the spread hits well over 80 percent of the time? Visit SportsLine now to find out which side of the spread you need to jump on, all from the model that has crushed its college basketball picks, and find out.
