March Madness is officially here! The NCAA Tournament play-in games take place Thursday, March 18th, 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 see Michigan in the First Round
Texas Southern vs Mount St. Mary’s Betting Preview + Odds for NCAA Tournament March Madness
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, IN
Coverage: TruTV
Texas Southern vs Mount St. Mary’s Odds
All NCAA Tournament odds during March Madness can be found at Bovada Sportsbook.
Moneyline: TXSO: (+106) | MSM: (-124)
Spread: TXSO: +1 (-106) | MSM: -1 (-116)
Total: 133 – Over: (-116) | Under: (-106)
These two schools have never played each other before. With zero history to base this matchup off of, we will need to dive deeper into what these two schools do well and not so well.
These two teams play very different styles of basketball. Texas Southern has the 41st-ranked tempo in the nation, per the KenPom Rankings. Mount St. Mary’s (MSM), 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 three-pointers per game. MSM attempts only 54.2 shots per game, but they drain 6.6 shots from deep per game.
If Texas Southern speeds up the game, MSM should be able to find open looks outside and make them at a higher clip. Should the game slow down, MSM has already shown the ability to play methodical and find the open jumpers, while Texas Southern may struggle to do this.
Texas Southern vs Mount St. Mary’s Prediction
While it may be tough for one team to fully dictate the pace, I believe Mount St. Mary’s has the advantage in this regard. All it takes is a few missed shots in the game for MSM to slow the pace down and turn it into a halfcourt game. If Texas Southern tries to sprint down the floor and rush a shot afterwards, it will be to their detriment.
While Michael Weathers for the Tigers is a problem, I expect the Mountaineers to get up and play their way. Given the pick of Mount St. Mary’s to win, it should be no surprise to see the under coupled with it. The Mountaineers average just 54.2 points per game. Even if they get a few extra possessions here, the under should be firmly in play.
Prediction: Mount St. Mary’s -1, Under 133
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