Sweet 16 Preview: Dayton Vs. Stanford

The No. 10 and No. 11 teams in the NCAA are set to clash by the grace of the brackets and the game has some close betting lines.

This game guarantees that a double-digit seed will move on to the elite eight.  Also notable, as that both these team’s coaches were on the hot seat at the start of the season.  A deep tournament run into the Elite 8 may very well be the saving grace that  these coaches needed to secure their jobs for another year.

Stanford has a very unique offensive playing style, considering their size.  Their offensive rebounding stats are not good at all, but that is by design.  Their offensive strategy simply does not put an emphasis on second-chance baskets.  Dayton‘s rebounding stats are not off the charts, by any means either, but they do at least try to make a play on the ball, which could be a difference maker in this game.

Part of the reason Stanford doesn’t put a focus on the O-rebound is that their point guard Chasson Randle is simply that good.  He will be the best pure shooter on the floor tonight.  The question remains will that be good enough to lift Stanford over Dayton, who is the better all-around team? Dayton has some really good perimeter shooters and, unlike Stanford, they do not too heavily rely on a single player.

Stanford also struggles with turnover, particularly since Aaron Bright went down with an injury.  In fact, it was turnover that almost saw them get eliminated in the second round.

With all that said, it seems as though it is Stanford are playing with their back’s against the wall.  However, if you recall I mentioned how Randle was simply that good and that is why many have picked Stanford to win this one, including the sportsbooks.

Stanford has a -3.5 point spread.  The game comes from the FedEx Forum in Memphis and starts at 7:15 p.m. You can watch the game on CBS.