For just the second time ever and the first time since 1991, St. Francis basketball will play in the big dance. But they’ll have to take down Alabama State on Tuesday to get into the main bracket.
General Information:
Team: St. Francis (PA)
Location: Loretto, PA
Record: 16-17 (8-8)
Head Coach: Rob Krimmel (13th season, all at St. Francis)
What to know about St. Francis basketball:
With a record of 16-17, St. Francis basketball is by far the biggest surprise to earn an automatic bid to the big dance. The Red Flash took down top seed CCSU, 46-43, ending what was the nation’s longest winning streak. In their three game NEC Tournament run, St. Francis held opponents to 55.3 points per game, coming into March Madness with some of the best recent defensive performances.
However, it’s worth noting that the NEC is one of the worst and stragnest conferences in college basketball. Three teams in the conference – Le Moyne, Mercyhurst, and Stonehill, weren’t even eligible for the NCAA Tournament due to the transition period to Division I. Chicago State was also a new addition, so it is a new league dealing with out of the ordinary circumstances.
St. Francis basketball is also an out of the ordinary team to be dancing. They rank 311th in KenPom and 297th in the NET with a 2-3 record in… Quad THREE games. But when it mattered most, they shut down a talented Central Connecticut offense, made the game scrappy, and will now be playing in Dayton in the First Four.
They are coached by Rob Krimmel, who has been there for 13 seasons. Riley Parker is their leading scorer but freshman Juan Cranford impressed with 10.0 points per game. Valentino Pinedo is their main inside presence. The 6-foot-7 forward averages 10.0 points and 6.5 rebounds per game.
While I wouldn’t characterize them as a good basketball team, they are 60th in the country with a 55.0% rate from 2-point range. They are a team that doesn’t really focus on the three-point shot and instead, works to their strengths of working it inside the paint, whether it be to Cranford or their guards taking close range shots. It’s not a pretty offense, but for a team that’s identity is on defense, they also stick to their identity on offense.
NCAA Tournament prediction for St. Francis basketball: Round of 64 Exit
Actual seed: 16
The question isn’t if St. Francis can pull off an absolute shocker and take down Auburn, it’s if they can even advance to the round of 64. And I don’t see why not.
The record may not look good, but this is a Red Flash team that played non-conference games againt Maryland, Clemson, Dayton, Georgetown, Penn State, and Mount St. Mary’s, another tournament team. That’s a relatively difficult schedule and when you factor in the fact they beat Lehigh (KenPom 282), Campbell (KenPom 221), and of course, CCSU (KenPom 183).
Alabama State is 273rd in KenPom, so that lines up. However, Alabama State also has a relatively high-scoring offense and virtually never turns the ball over at 9.1 turnovers per game. St. Francis has the defense to bother them, so it will come down to how well they are able to score the ball. It’s a true toss-up to see who loses by 50 to Auburn, but why not go with the Red Flash?
[…] State basketball will take on Saint Francis PA in the First Four for a chance to play the #1 overall seed, Auburn. Alabama State actually played […]