NCAA Bracket 2019: Picks, Updated Odds Ahead of Wednesday First Four Schedule

The final two participants for the first round of the 2019 NCAA men's basketball tournament will be determined Wednesday in Dayton, Ohio. 

North Carolina Central and North Dakota State open Wednesday's slate, as they look to join Fairleigh Dickinson as No. 16 seeds to advance to the first round through the First Four. 

The second matchup pits two of the last teams to get into the field of 68 against each other, as Arizona State faces St. John's in a battle of No. 11 seeds. 

The winner of North Carolina Central-North Dakota State will head to Columbia, South Carolina, to face No. 1 overall seed Duke, while the Arizona State-St. John's victor is off to Tulsa, Oklahoma, to face sixth-seeded Buffalo. 

Updated First Four Odds

No. 16 North Dakota State (-5) vs. No. 16 North Carolina Central (6:40 p.m. ET, truTV)

No. 11 Arizona State (-2) vs. No. 11 St. John's (9:10 p.m. ET, truTV) 

Odds via VegasInsider.com

Picks 

North Carolina Central over North Dakota State

Both North Carolina Central and North Dakota State weren't expected to reach March Madness, as they both finished third in the regular season in their respective conferences. 

The Eagles out of the MEAC knocked off top seed Norfolk State in the conference tournament final to earn their third straight trip to the Big Dance. 

Jason Hirschfeld/Associated Press

North Dakota State took advantage of South Dakota State's early loss in the Summit League tournament and knocked off Omaha to earn the league's automatic bid. 

The Bison are making their first NCAA tournament appearance since 2015, and they have one victory to their name from 2014, when they upset Oklahoma as a No. 12 seed. 

Although NC Central has recent NCAA tournament experience, the Eagles have fallen short in the First Four to UC Davis and Texas Southern in each of the last two years. 

While they can't boast an advantage in experience, the Eagles are working with an extra bit of motivation, as they are trying to avoid a third straight shortcoming at the First Four. 

NC Central should have the upper hand in the paint thanks to senior center Raasean Davis, who averages 14.6 points and 8.9 rebounds per contest. 

North Dakota State carries the advantage in the backcourt, as Vinnie Shahid, Tyson Ward and Cameron Hunter come into Wednesday off double-digit point performances in the Summit League tournament final. 

LeVelle Moton's Eagles don't have high-scoring guards on their roster, but they are capable of stifling an opponent's offense. 

In the MEAC tournament, NC Central held all of its opponents under 65 points, and it has limited foes to fewer than 70 points in seven of its last eight victories. 

By frustrating the Bison with their defense and controlling the paint, the Eagles finally break through into the first round, but with that comes a showdown versus No. 1 overall seed Duke. 

Arizona State over St. John's

If you told us back in December that Arizona State and St. John's would play each other in the First Four, we would've scoffed at you. 

The Sun Devils and Red Storm both put together strong nonconference resumes, which helped them reach the field of 68 after struggling in the Pac-12 and Big East, respectively. 

Bobby Hurley's Sun Devils collected wins over Kansas and Mississippi State, while Chris Mullin's Red Storm didn't lose until December 29. 

Both teams suffered brutal losses in conference play to knock them down to the bubble and eventually into the First Four to play for a matchup against Buffalo Friday. 

Arizona State comes into Dayton in better form with wins in six of its last eight games, but most of those victories came against teams at the bottom of the Pac-12, while St. John's lost four of its final five contests. 

Wednesday's nightcap should feature an electric guard matchup with Luguentz Dort and Remy Martin of Arizona State going up against the St. John's duo of Shamorie Ponds and Mustapha Heron. 

Rick Scuteri/Associated Press

All four guards average over 13 points per game, and each of them should make a mark on the game at some point. 

However, Arizona State carries the advantage in the paint with Zylan Cheatham, and he'll emerge as the X-factor in the second half. 

Cheatham has three double-digit-point performances and a pair of double-doubles in his last four games, and he'll be able to clean up down low on second-chance opportunities to hand the Sun Devils a spot in the round of 64. 

Arizona State's First Four victory will add an extra storyline to the first round, as Hurley brought Buffalo to prominence before taking the Arizona State job. 

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