Texas A&M Corpus Christi vs. Texas Southern Prediction and Odds for NCAA Men's Tournament First Four (Midwest)
By Ben Heisler
Two 16-seeds out of the Midwest region match up Tuesday night in Dayton for Game 1 of the First Four as the Texas A&M Corpus Christi Islanders of the Southland Conference take on their fellow Texas school Texas Southern out of the SWAC.
Both teams made the tournament as a result of winning their conference tournament. The winner will take on the top-seeded Kansas Jayhawks in Ft. Worth.
Which school stays hot and continues their journey in their home state?
Here are the odds for the matchup via WynnBET Sportsbook.
Texas A&M Corpus Christi vs. Texas Southern Odds, Spread and Total
Spread:
- Texas A&M CC +2.5 (-110)
- Texas Southern -2.5 (-110)
Moneyline:
- Texas A&M CC +120
- Texas Southern -145
Total:
- 136 (Over: -110/Under: -110)
Texas A&M Corpus Christi vs. Texas Southern Analysis
Texas A&M Corpus Christi Islanders
- Regular Season Record: 23-11
- ATS Record 20-10
- Over/Under Record: 17-12-1
- SoS (Strength of Schedule): 352nd
- Adjusted Offensive Efficiency: 97.0
- Defensive Efficiency: 103.3
- eFG%:47.3%
- FT%: 75%
- 3PT%: 31.6%
- Last Year’s Tournament Result: N/A
- Odds to win National Championship: +3000 (Field)
Texas Southern Tigers
- Regular Season Record: 18-12
- ATS Record 16-13-1
- Over/Under Record: 13-17-0
- SoS (Strength of Schedule): 269
- Adjusted Offensive Efficiency: 98.1
- Defensive Efficiency: 99.4
- eFG%: 48.7%
- FT%: 67.1%
- 3PT%: 31.6%
- Last Year’s Tournament Result: N/A
- Odds to win National Championship: +3000 (Field)
Texas A&M Corpus Christi vs. Texas Southern
The oddsmakers at WynnBET Sportsbook hung this number for Corpus Christi a full point lower than consensus, which certainly caught my eye in writing up this preview.
Granted, the Islanders have one of the worst strength of schedules in the country, but some key numbers stand out for them in this matchup.
Both teams are excellent offensive rebounding teams, but the Islanders are a shade better than Texas Southern. Then, there's the free throw shooting discrepancy. Texas A&M Corpus Christi ranks 65th in the country at 75% from the line, compared to just 67.1% at the charity stripe for the Tigers (319th in the nation).
With a slow paced game expected with not a lot of points, I expect this to come down to capitalizing opportunities at the line, which gives the edge to the underdog here.
PICK: Texas A&M Corpus Christi +2.5 (-110)
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