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(16) Mount St Mary’s v. (16) Texas Southern
Mount St Mary’s pulled off a wild run to win the Northeast Conference and clinch an automatic bid into the tournament. The Mount was 12-10 through the regular season and had actually lost 3 in a row prior to going on a run during the conference tournament. Texas Southern finished the season 16-8 and placed 3rd in the Southwestern Athletic Conference regular season before going on a run in the conference tournament to clinch the autobid. Texas Southern deserves to be favored here but it is actually Mount St Mary’s who is getting 1-2 points on the line.
The Bet: Texas Southern Moneyline
(11) Drake v. (11) Wichita State
Drake has an eye popping record at 25-4 but their loss to Loyola Chicago in the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament has made them play a play-in game to get into the real tournament. Wichita State went through offseason drama when their longtime coach was fired after his history of abusing his players came to light. The Shockers are typically a tournament team and have flown under the radar this season. Much like the first game of the day, the wrong team is favored, and I project the “underdog” Shockers to get into weekend play with a win tonight.
The Bet: Wichita State Moneyline
(16) Norfolk State v. (16) Appalachian State
Norfolk State finished 2nd in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference and secured the autobid by winning the conference tournament. The Spartans have won 6 in a row and are hoping to continue their hot play tonight in the First Four. If you ask most people familiar with mid-major conferences, they would tell you Appalachian State has no business being here. The Mountaineers finished 7th in the Sun Belt and lost double digit regular season games before winning 4 in a row at the right time to clinch the autobid. App State is mostly favored due to name recognition and I see that hurting them in the end.
The Bet: Norfolk State Spread
(11) UCLA v. (11) Michigan State
The premier matchup tonight pits two blue bloods against each other in a play-in game for the first time ever. Michigan State was in the top-10 before conference play started this year, but a tough season in the deep Big Ten saw them slide all the way into the position they are in now. UCLA was a ranked team before going 4-6 in their final 10 games and are currently nursing a 4 game losing streak. Recent play means a lot in these games when the teams are at-large bids, and momentum is clearly on the Spartans side.
The Bet: Michigan State Moneyline
