The #16 seed Play-in Games are fun games to watch. The small school’s fanbase travels and they make a lot of noise.
The LIU-Brooklyn Blackbirds aren’t strangers to the play-in game atmosphere. They have been here before, but failed to leave with a win.
It’s been awhile since Radford made the field of 68, but they are also looking for their first-ever NCAA tournament win.
The winner of this game will face the Villanova Wildcats.
Who do you think will win?
Who do you have: LIU-Brooklyn Blackbirds or Radford Highlanders?
The LIU-Brooklyn Blackbirds are one of the most improbable teams to make the NCAA Tournament. They finished tied for fourth in the Northeast Conference regular season. They earned the automatic bid when they went on the road and won at Wagner, the NEC regular season champions. The Blackbirds like to run, but they struggle on defense…so games can be a bit of a shootout.
LIU-Brooklyn may have been one of the most improbable teams in the tournament, but Radford takes the cake. They needed a long, three-pointer at the buzzer to beat Liberty to win the Big South Conference title game. They played a tough non-conference schedule with games at Ohio State, Virginia Tech and at Nevada early in the season. They didn’t come out with a win in any of those contests, but I like a team with some battles under their belt.
Radford focuses on defense and their half-court offense eats up the clock. They are the polar opposite of LIU-Brooklyn. Emotions are always high for these small conference #16 seed play-in games. I’m taking defense all day, so give me the Highlanders.
Prediction: #16 Radford Highlanders
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About the Author…
Bobby Roberts (otherwise known as Sweetbob) is the creator of ‘America’s White Boy’ and contributor at Project Shanks. His writing has been featured on ESPN’s ‘SportsNation’, Sports Illustrated’s Hot Clicks, Guyspeed, and various other sites. You can follow him on Twitter at @Sweetbob.