High Point vs Seattle Pick & Prediction for CBI Championship

The High Point Panthers looked like a team capable of winning an NCAA Tournament game this season. They cruised through the Big South — losing only two conference games — but they missed out on an auto bid after losing against Longwood in Big South Tournament semifinals.

Losing in the semifinals sent the upstart Panthers to the CBI. High Point earned the No. 1 seed and a double-bye in the tournament as a result of winning 26 games. Since then, it's beaten Cleveland State and Arkansas State en route to the title showdown against the Seattle Redhawks.

The Redhawks, hailing from the WAC, were one of the teams that beat Grand Canyon during WAC play and looked very pesky while doing so.

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High Point is among the best offensive teams in college basketball, ranking 36th nationally in efficiency on that end of the floor.

The Panthers' guards — Kezza Giffa and Duke Miles — want to isolate and attack the paint. That leads to regular success inside, as the Panthers are scoring on 54% of their shots from 2-point range and are getting fouled often (seventh nationally in FTA/FGA, per KenPom).

Miles is the go-to guy for High Point, averaging 17.9 points on an effective 53% shooting and 37% from 3.

If the Panthers shoot it well, they become a much scarier team. How can defenses stop the versatility from the guards? It's not easy.

High Point attempts 3s on 39% of its field goal attempts, connecting on just 33% of those shots. Look for Trae Benham and Abdoulaye Thiam to provide some shooting pop on the perimeter.

Alan Huss is a branch from the Greg McDermott coaching tree, so it's no surprise he's brought the offensive punch to High Point. His offensive genius led to High Point scoring 1.18 PPP against Cleveland State and 1.27 PPP against Arkansas State.

On defense, High Point is a totally different team; it can't defend and hasn't all year. The Panthers rank a ghastly 254th in Defensive Efficiency and own one of the most significant disparities in college basketball from Offensive to Defensive Efficiency.

Seattle wins a lot differently than High Point. Chris Victor is more of a defensive-minded coach than Huss' offensive-first philosophy.

The Redhawks' defense ranks 56th in efficiency and just held three straight CBI opponents to fewer than 70 points. They'll need another game in the 70-point range against the best offense the CBI offers.

Seattle's two main defensive aspects are limiting 3-pointers and rebounding. The Redhawks rank 37th in defensive rebounding percentage and boast the fourth-best 3-point defense in the country.

The issue is Seattle fouls a ton. It ranks 262nd in possessions ending in free-throw attempts, which could turn into a major problem against this High Point offensive attack. They can't fall for shot fakes and aggressive drives from High Point's guards.

On offense, Seattle relies on three guards for the bulk of its scoring. All-conference talent Cameron Tyson (17.9 PPG) leads the charge, while John Christofilis and Alex Schumacher average over 12 points per game.

That's a pretty fearsome trio that looks to shoot it more than drive.

Tyson and Christofilis combined for 42 of Seattle's 75 points in the CBI semis.

It feels like High Point deserves a championship for having such a successful season, so I can't see it falling short on the road to another title.

The Panthers didn't look phased by the layoff from the double bye and should come out looking for fouls against the hack-heavy Seattle defense.

Pick: High Point -1 (Play to -4)