St. Francis Red Flash vs Alabama State Hornets Prediction, Odds and Picks for Today, 03/18/25

The NCAA Tournament tips off with a battle of 16-seeds, as the St. Francis PA Red Flash take on the Alabama State Hornets in a First Four showdown. The winner advances to face No. 1 seed Auburn in the South Region’s Round of 64. Oddsmakers opened Alabama State as a slight 2.5-point favorite, with the total set at 142.5 points. However, at the time of publishing this article, the line is at 4 points. Both teams pulled off surprising conference tournament runs to secure their spot in March Madness. Alabama State, led by head coach Tony Madlock, thrives on winning the turnover battle. The Hornets are 6th in the nation in turnover rate and rank 70th in forcing turnovers—a critical edge against a St. Francis squad that has struggled with ball control.

Meanwhile, St. Francis needed late-game heroics to survive its conference tournament and must overcome serious offensive concerns. The Red Flash lean heavily on three-pointers, with 41% of their shots coming from beyond the arc, yet they convert just 33% of those attempts. Alabama State’s backcourt trio of Amarr Knox, CJ Hines, and TJ Madlock provides scoring balance, with each averaging double figures. Their ability to control tempo and capitalize on St. Francis’ mistakes makes them the stronger pick in this matchup.

St. Francis (PA) vs Alabama State prediction: Alabama State -4 (-110) available at time of publishing. Playable to 5.

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