The NCAA Tournament play-in games take place Thursday, March 18, with the first being the Texas Southern Tigers facing the Mount St. Mary’s Mountaineers. The winner of this game will be tasked with facing No. 1 seed Michigan in the East Region. Let’s take a look at the best college basketball bets today for the Texas Southern – Mount St. Mary’s matchup.
Best College Basketball Bets Today | Tex. So. vs. MSM
Texas Southern vs. Mount St. Mary’s Game Info
Texas Southern Tigers (16-8) vs. Mount St. Mary’s Mountaineers (12-10)
Date: Thursday, March 18, 2021
Start Time: 5:10 p.m. EST
Venue: Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall – Bloomington, Ind.
Bracket: East Region
Coverage: TruTV
These two schools have never played each other before. With zero history to base this matchup on, we will need to dive deeper to find an edge.
The 16 seeds play very different styles of basketball. Texas Southern has the 41st-ranked tempo in the nation, per the KenPom Rankings. Mount St. Mary’s, on the other hand, is ranked 356th. This means the game could really go either way, depending on which team is capable of controlling the pace of the game.
However, an important difference between these teams is the way they score. Texas Southern is run-and-gun, scoring by throwing up as many shots as possible. They average 60.1 shot attempts per game, but they make only 4.6 3-pointers per game. Mount St. Mary’s attempts only 54.2 shots per game, but they drain 6.6 shots from deep.
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Texas Southern vs. Mount St. Mary’s Odds Shopping
For those looking to bet on tonight’s Texas Southern – Mount St. Mary’s First Four game in the East Region, shopping the college basketball odds at various sportsbooks is critical to ensuring that you get the best number possible. The Awesemo OddsShopper tool is the perfect asset to use for a quick side-by-side comparison of the NBA betting odds.
As seen in the accompanying image above, the point spread betting odds for this Texas Southern – Mount St. Mary’s differ across the sportsbooks. SugarHouse is currently offering the best value on the Tigers at +0.5 (-110). FanDuel is currently offering the best line for the Mountaineers, at PK (-102). Bettors should be selective and odds shop in order to avoid compromising value, especially later in the day.
Texas Southern vs. Mount St. Mary’s Odds Shopping | Total
Much like the point spread, those making March Madness betting picks for the total in tonight’s Texas Southern – Mount St. Mary’s game should be a bit selective. Those interested in betting the total over will find the best value at FanDuel or PointsBet in the form of an over 133 (-110) ticket. On the contrary, those looking to bet the Texas Southern – Mount St. Mary’s total under should aim to do so at SugarHouse or DraftKings, with a line of 133 (-108).
[MARCHMADNESS]
Matt’s Pick – Under 133.0
While Texas Southern does typically try to play uptempo basketball, that will not work against a Mount St. Mary’s team ranked 338th in possessions per game. Likewise, both teams excel on defense. Texas Southern and Mount St. Mary’s rank 59th and 34th in overall defensive efficiency. Only four teams all season reached 70 points against Mount St. Mary’s and none eclipsed 80. With both teams outside the top 200 in offensive efficiency as well, the pick is under 133 points.
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