Appalachian State vs. Norfolk State odds: 2021 NCAA Tournament picks, First Four predictions from proven model

The Norfolk State Spartans are ending a nine-year drought when they return to the NCAA Tournament to face the Appalachian State Mountaineers in a 2021 NCAA Tournament First Four matchup on Thursday. The Spartans (16-7) earned their first trip to the NCAAs since 2012 — when they stunned No. 2 seed Missouri — by capturing the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Tournament. Appalachian State (17-11) looks to build on its surprising run in the Sun Belt Conference Tournament and takes aim at its fifth straight victory, with the winner advancing to face the No. 1-ranked Gonzaga Bulldogs, the top seed and lone undefeated team in the tournament field.

Tip-off is scheduled for 8:40 p.m. ET at Assembly Hall in Bloomington, Ind. William Hill Sportsbook lists the Mountaineers as 3.5-point favorites, while the over-under for total points scored is 133.5 in the latest Appalachian State vs. Norfolk State odds. Before making any Norfolk State vs. Appalachian State picks, check out the college basketball predictions and betting advice from the SportsLine Projection Model.

The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every Division I college basketball game 10,000 times. Over the past four-plus years, the proprietary computer model has generated an impressive profit of over $2,500 for $100 players on its top-rated college basketball picks against the spread. It has also returned almost $500 on all top-rated college basketball picks this season. Anyone who has followed it has seen huge returns.

Now, the model has set its sights on App. State vs. Norfolk State in the NCAA Tournament 2021. You can head to SportsLine to see its picks. Here are several college basketball odds and trends for Norfolk State vs. App. State:

Why Appalachian State can cover 

Grad transfer Michael Almonacy averaged 11.4 points during the regular season before dialing it up several notches in the Mountaineers’ run to the NCAAs. He put on a remarkable display of long-distance shooting by burying 20 of 39 3-point attempts and averaging 21.8 points to earn Most Outstanding Player honors in the Sun Belt tourney. He scored a career-high 32 points, knocking down 6 of 10 threes, in the conference title game.

Senior guard Justin Forrest also elevated his play down the stretch, scoring in double figures over the final 10 games and averaging 20.0 points in the conference tournament. He was second on the team in scoring to junior guard Adrian Delph, who also finished strong following a midseason slump in which he totaled a combined 29 points over five games. Delph averaged 19.0 points over his last six games, including 22 in the Sun Belt championship game.

Why Norfolk State can cover

Junior guard Joe Bryant Jr. picked the right time to snap out of an offensive funk in which he scored a combined 17 points and missed all eight 3-point attempts over the final three regular-season games. He erupted for a career-high 30 points and buried 7 of 10 3-pointers in a MEAC quarterfinal victory. The team’s second-leading scorer at 11.6 points per game, he paced the Spartans with 17 points to go with three steals in the conference title game.

Top scorer Devante Carter put up modest scoring numbers in the MEAC tournament, scoring 12 and 10 points, but he came up one assist shy of a triple-double in the quarterfinals while contributing three steals and two blocked shots in the title game. He carried the team down the stretch, averaging 19.7 points in the last seven games of the regular season. Forward Kashaun Hicks averaged 13.5 points and 6.0 boards in the MEAC tourney.

How to make Norfolk State vs. Appalachian State picks

The model is leaning over on the total, projecting the teams to combine for 142 points. It also says one side of the spread hits in well over 60 percent of simulations. You can only see the pick at SportsLine.

So who wins Norfolk State vs. Appalachian State? And which side of the spread hits well over 60 percent of the time? Visit SportsLine right now to see which side of the spread you need to jump on, all from the computer model that has crushed its college basketball picks.