Alabama State vs. St. Francis: 2025 NCAA Tournament Preview & Predictions

by BettingPros Staff |
Mar 16, 2025

The 2025 NCAA Tournament is officially here! The March Madness Bracket is set, and first-round NCAA Tournament matchups are in place. It’s time to make your picks and predictions for the first round of the 2025 NCAA Tournament! We’re here to help as we’ll have picks and predictions for each of the first-round 2025 NCAA Tournament games. Here are our NCAA Tournament previews and predictions for Alabama State vs. St. Francis.

2025 NCAA Tournament Preview & Predictions: Alabama State vs. St. Francis

Here are the odds for this opening-round matchup of the 2025 NCAA Tournament. Let’s dive into our preview and predictions for this First Four NCAA Tournament matchup.

Alabama State 2025 NCAA Tournament Preview

Alabama State enters the NCAA Tournament as a scrappy, defense-first team that thrives on hustle plays and relentless effort. Despite ranking 300th in Haslametrics with a 19-15 record, the Hornets make up for their offensive inefficiencies with aggressive defense and a high-energy approach.

Floor general TJ Madlock, the coach's son, is the heart of the team, excelling as a creator and defensive anchor. While perimeter shooting remains inconsistent, CJ Hines provides a reliable deep threat with 14 points per game, and Amarr Knox has shown serious improvement in his sophomore year as the team’s leading scorer and assist man. Inside, 7-footer Ubong Okon and JaSteven Walker anchor the paint defensively.

Though Alabama State struggles with efficiency on both ends, it has a good chance of winning the turnover battle against any opponent, ranking sixth in ball control and top 100 in forcing turnovers while remaining consistent in scoring off them.

It would be a surprise if Alabama State pulled off a first-round upset, as its best win came against Omaha, and it ranks outside the top 300 in effective field goal percentage. But crazier things have happened, I guess.

St. Francis 2025 NCAA Tournament Preview

One of the more shocking results from the conference tournaments was St. Francis (PA) running through the NEC to upset Central Connecticut as a double-digit underdog and earn an auto bid into the NCAA Tournament. It was a gruesome 46-43 game in which both teams combined for only nine free throws and eight threes, with each team shooting below 20 percent from deep.

For the Red Flash, you might expect more of the same. Their offensive efficiency ranks outside the top 300, and they don’t manufacture many additional looks with their low OReb and free throw rate. Their biggest strength right now might be luck. Rob Krimmel’s squad is riding a six-game winning streak entering the tournament, but every win came in overtime or by one possession. They have a decent backcourt with Riley Parker and Juan Crawford that defends the perimeter well, but their lack of size makes them susceptible to any physical team with a presence inside.

Maybe luck is on their side, but St. Francis needs a lot of it if they expect to make any sort of noise this tournament.

Check out all of our 2025 NCAA Tournament Bracket & Betting Coverage >>

2025 NCAA Tournament Game Previews

March Madness is officially here! The 2025 NCAA Tournament Bracket has been announced, and the teams are lining up for the Big Dance. Let's take a look at the early odds, previews, and predictions for the 2025 NCAA Tournament.

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