#869/870 ASA TOP PLAY ON 10* Under 135 Points – Evansville vs Indiana State, Friday at 3 PM ET - We love the value here on the UNDER. These 2 met twice in mid February and the totals set on those 2 games was 123.5 and 127. Both went OVER the total so now we are getting Friday’s opener at 135 which is a full 11.5 points higher than their first meeting. Were the oddsmakers that far off with their initial totals for those meetings? No. The teams went crazy offensively in those games which pushed both over the total. The first meeting ended with ISU winning 76-70. The 2 teams combined to take only 93 shots in that game but made 53 of those shots which was 57%. They also combined to make 41% of their 3-pointers. In the rematch the 2 teams attempted 104 total shots and made 60 of those for 58%. The also made 44% of their 3-pointers in that game. For comparison’s sake, for the season these teams make 43.7% and 44.3% of their shots (38% and 33% from beyond the arc) so both hit WAY above their averages in those 2 games. They were both very slow paced games as we can see by the total shots and that’s not surprising as Evansville ranks 355th (out of 357 teams) in tempo while Indiana State ranks 219th. The Sycamores are very solid defensively ranking in the top 100 in defensive efficiency (4th in the MVC) and while Evansville is not a great defensive team, ISU still performed well above their offensive expectations (based on facing Evansville’s defense) in the first meetings. 135 may not seem like a high total, but keep in mind ISU has had 9 of their last 10 totals set at 137.5 or less and Evansville has had only one total ALL SEASON set higher than 135. Now we are at a neutral site in St Louis and it’s tourney time. One and done. We expect both defenses to perform much better this time around and another very slow paced game with limited shot attempts is on tap. Unless they both go off the charts again offensively, this one should stay UNDER the total.