The second day of the NCAA Tournament tips off on Wednesday night with a First Four NCAAB matchup between the Fairleigh Dickinson Knights and the Texas Southern Tigers. Fairleigh Dickinson reached the Big Dance thanks to a win in the Northeast Conference tournament after finishing in a tie for second in the regular-season standings in the conference.
Texas Southern advanced to the NCAA Tournament by winning the SWAC tournament despite an eighth-place finish in the conference in the regular season. It can be hard to forecast the First Four, but we are going to take a closer look at this game and make our best Fairleigh Dickinson vs Texas Southern prediction.
Fairleigh Dickinson Knights vs Texas Southern Tigers Odds
Fairleigh Dickinson vs. Texas Southern Information
Fairleigh Dickinson vs Texas Southern
Location: UD Arena, Dayton, OH.
Date and Time: Wednesday, March 15, 2023, 6:40 PM ET.
How to Watch: truTV
Updates for Fairleigh Dickinson vs. Texas Southern
Both of these NCAAB teams are just happy to be in the tournament, and one will move on to get a shot at No. 1 seed Purdue in the East Region on Friday. Most March Madness perfect bracket predictions aren’t going to count on either of these teams moving on after this game, but either one will take the win and experience of winning in the NCAA Tournament nonetheless.
Senior guard Demetre Roberts has been the top scorer for the Knights this season, averaging 16.7 points per game. He averaged 15.0 points and 5.8 assists in the three games of the NEC Tournament, and he’ll be a big key to the Knights’ chances in this one.
Senior guard Grant Singleton has also been a solid contributor as one of four Fairleigh Dickinson players averaging in double digits in scoring (14.3 points). At 5-9, Singleton has speed on both ends of the floor, averaging 1.9 steals per contest as well.
Texas Southern’s Unexpected March Madness Run
No one had Texas Southern among their March Madness predictions for the field of 68, but the Tigers advanced despite a 14-20 overall record. The Texas Southern defense has been very good in their last three games, as they’ve held opponents to just 60.3 points in their three SWAC tournament victories.
Sophomore forward Davon Barnes leads the team with 13.6 points per game along with 4.4 rebounds and 1.9 assists per contest. Barnes averaged 17.3 points and 7.3 rebounds in the SWAC Tournament, playing 111 of a possible 120 minutes over the three-game span.
The Tigers also have four players averaging double-digits in scoring, with senior guard PJ Henry second on the team with 12.7 points per game. Henry is also diminutive but effective, standing 5-10 but leading the team with 2.1 assists and 1.3 steals per contest.
Fairleigh Dickinson vs. Texas Southern Betting Preview
We won’t be looking at the best odds to win March Madness for these two teams, but we are looking to make a good Fairleigh Dickinson vs Texas Southern prediction. The Tigers are the favorite, according to the NCAAB odds, giving two points on the point-spread bet. You can get -110 odds on either side of that wager.
If you’d prefer to make a moneyline bet, you can get Texas Southern at -130, while Fairleigh Dickinson is listed at +110. The over/under has been set at 147 points, with -110 odds available on either side you take on that bet.
Fairleigh Dickinson vs. Texas Southern Betting Prediction
Both of these teams have nothing to lose and will be playing that way, so making a Fairleigh Dickinson vs Texas Southern prediction isn’t going to be easy.
We like a high-scoring game, with both teams playing well offensively, and we’re favoring the Knights to come out on top in a close contest.
When you’re making your college basketball picks, go with Fairleigh Dickinson to advance to face the Boilermakers on Friday.
- BETTING PICK: Fairleigh Dickinson 79, Texas Southern 74
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