6:40 p.m. ET: Texas A&M-CC Islanders (23-11) vs Texas Southern Tigers (18-12)
Spread: Texas Southern -3.5
Total: 136
The Texas Southern Tigers and Texas A&M-CC Islanders meet in the NCAA Tournament First Four round. Texas Southern scores 69.2 ppg and has outscored opponents by an average of 3.7 points per game. This is the Tigers’ 2nd straight trip to the tournament and is the 3rd most experienced team out of 358 Division I teams. Texas Southern is shooting 43.7% overall and 31.7% from behind the three-point line. Texas A&M-CC has scored 76.9 ppg while shooting 44% from the field. A&M-CC is allowing an average of 70 points per game.
The Islanders can force a lot of turnovers and the Tigers average 15 turnovers a game so that might be a problem for Southern. If this game comes down to free throws it will benefit the Islanders at a 74% to 64% free throw shooting percentage advantage. The Islanders have been playing well and are comfortable playing away from home. They are 17-3 ATS away from home, including 9-2 ATS as underdogs away from home. The Tigers don’t have any players averaging double-digits while the Islanders have 3 players averaging more points than the leading scorer for the Tigers. Look for the Islanders to cover and possibly win outright.
9:10 p.m. ET: Indiana Hoosiers (20-13) vs Wyoming Cowboys (25-8)
Spread: Indiana -3.5
Total: 132.5
The Wyoming Cowboys and Indiana Hoosiers play in the NCAA Tournament First Four round. Indiana made a late push to secure a big by pulling off back-to-back wins over Michigan and Illinois in the Big Ten tournament before falling to eventual Big Ten tourney champion Iowa 80-77 on a last-second shot by Jordan Bohannon. Wyoming finished 4th in the Mountain West Conference and is coming off a 68-61 loss to Boise State in the MWC tournament semifinals.
Drake Jeffries is shooting 42.2% from beyond the arc with 2.8 made 3-pointers per game for the Cowboys, while averaging 10.5 points and 5.3 rebounds. Hunter Maldonado, a 6-foot-7 guard, is another strong all-around player who is averaging 18.4 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 6.3 assists for the Cowboys. Xavier Johnson is averaging 12.3 points and five assists for the Hoosiers. The Hoosiers are an elite defensive team and they showed that in the Big 10 tournament. This season, the Hoosiers are ranked #21 only allowing 92.6 points per 100 possessions.
The Cowboys had a great season but they struggle versus elite defensive clubs like Indiana. Wyoming lost 5 of its last 9 games by more than 6 points. Hoosiers’ star Trayce Jackson-Davis scored over 20 points in all three Big Ten tournament games and should be able to contain Maldonado. The Hoosiers have been battle-tested against tough Big 10 opponents. The Hoosiers should be able to get past the buzzer-beater loss and get back to rolling again in this one. The Hoosiers are 4-0 ATS in their last 4 games and the Cowboys are 1-4 ATS in their last 5.