Utah State, the No. 8 seed from the Midwest Region and regular-season Mountain West Conference champs, will square off against ninth-seeded Texas Christian in the NCAA Tournament first round Friday night in Indianapolis.
The Horned Frogs (21-12, 9-9 Big XII) is just 6-7 in its past 13, though much of that is due to the Big XII conference’s treacherous nature. Coached by veteran Jamie Dixon, TCU has won a March Madness game in each of the past two seasons.
But to make that three straight the Horned Frogs will need to take down the Aggies (27-6, 14-4), who are back in the tournament for the fourth time in five years. The MWC is having a moment, with a league-record six NCAA Tournament teams in the field on the heels of San Diego State’s run to the Final Four last March.
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No. 8 Utah State vs No. 9 TCU Odds & Details
- Date: Friday, March 22, 2024
- Time: 9:55 p.m. ET
- Watch: TBS
- Location: Gainbridge Fieldhouse; Indianapolis, Indiana
- Spread: TCU -3.5 (-120, DraftKings); Utah State +4.5 (-120, FanDuel),
- Moneyline: TCU (-176, FanDuel); Utah State (+155, BetMGM)
- Total: Over: 150.5 Points (-110, FanDuel) / Under 151 Points (-110, bet365)
Utah State vs TCU Betting Preview
This NCAA Tournament game has all the makings of a throwback to the days before the 3-point line. The Aggies ranked third in the nation in defensive 3-point percentage (.286), which works out for TCU, since it ranked 313th in the country in 3s taken (18.5).
The Aggies are dangerous, ranked No. 20 in the most recent AP poll and with six wins in their past seven games. Danny Sprinkle’s team can score, ranking 44th in the country in points per game (79.8) and 38th in Adjusted Offensive Efficiency, per KenPom, while also posting the 13th-best two-point shooting percentage (.573).
But the Horned Frogs are offensively efficient too. They are scoring 79 points per game too and were 18th in the country in assists per game (17) and 19th in two-pointers made per game (21.9).
The Over is a high number to clear, but with two efficient scoring teams that are super-evenly matched, I’m going to take the point spread and the Over for this March Madness game.
PREDICTION: TCU wins 84-81 (OT)
BET: Utah State +4 (-110)
BET: Over 150.5 (-112)
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