The two #16 seed Play-in Games are two exciting contests to kickoff the NCAA Tournament. They pit teams that probably have no business being in the tournament, but they made some upsets in their conference tournament. There’s a place for teams like that in the field of 68.

North Carolina Central and Texas Southern are lead by coaches that have NCAA Tournament experience. Neither team was favored to win their conference tournaments, but the MEAC and SWAC both get representation.

The winner of this game will face the Xavier Musketeers.

Who do you think will win? 

Who do you have: North Carolina Central Eagles or Texas Southern Tigers?

I love a feel good story. North Carolina Central head coach LeVelle Moton took over the helm of his alma mater in 2009. He has turned the program into one of the most consistent in the MEAC. They were just average during the regular season, but caught fire in the MEAC Tournament and knocked off two of the three best teams in the conference. 

Texas Southern has had a resurgence under head coach Mike Davis. If that name sounds familiar, he is the same Mike Davis that took over for Bobby Knight at Indiana. He has led Texas Southern to the NCAA Tournament in four out of the last five seasons. Southern isn’t the most efficient team in the tournament, but they love to push the pace. They view shot attempts as quantity over quality.

Don’t let Texas Southern’s below .500 record fool you. They loaded up games against marquee programs through the first of the year. They lost their first thirteen games because of it. Yes, they were blown out in many of those contests, but Davis is a smart guy. He got his guys the kind of experience they needed to win a game or two in the NCAA Tournament. I’m taking the Tigers in this game.

Prediction: #16 Texas Southern Tigers

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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.