March Madness Round of 64 Prediction: Missouri vs Utah State

March Madness Round of 64 Prediction: Missouri vs Utah State

The Utah State Aggies and the Missouri Tigers will meet for a much anticipated first-round matchup. These seven versus ten games always deliver, and I expect another one to deliver this season.

Missouri vs Utah State Start Time and Where to Watch, and Odds

• Date: March 16, 2023
• Start Time: 1:40 p.m. ET
• Where to Watch: TNT

Click here for Missouri vs Utah State odds

Missouri vs Utah State Prediction

Utah State comes into this game feeling great about their recent play. The Aggies reached the finals but lost on Saturday to a very good San Diego State team. Utah State is a team that can heat up from the three-point line and is a matchup nightmare. The Aggies ended the year with a record of 26-8 overall and make way of the Mountain West. The committee clearly had a lot of respect for this conference, as they have four teams in the big dance this year.

Missouri, meanwhile, surprised a lot of people this year, led by head coach Dennis Gates. Gates is a guy that should be in the conversation for coach of the year, in my opinion. Missouri went 12-21 last year and 5-13 in the conference, and now they are a No. 7 seed in the tournament. The Tigers lost to Alabama in the SEC semifinals after knocking off Tennessee the previous day.

The star of this Tigers team is senior guard Kobe Brown who is having a career year. Brown ended the season averaging 15.8 points per game to pace the Tigers. Senior guard D’’Moi Hodge also produced the best year of his career, averaging 14.8 points per game. Utah State comes into this game as a short favorite. 

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I am going to back the Aggies on Thursday afternoon. Utah State is one of the most underrated teams in this tournament, in my opinion. The Aggies are ranked 18th in Kenpom rankings to prove my point that the casual fan will overlook this team. Many people do not realize how good of a conference the Mountain West was this year, and I believe they show the world how good they are.

Utah State has experienced guards that can take over a game which is exactly what you need to win this time of year. Lastly, Ryan Odom will have a great game plan for the Tigers and limit the production of Brown and Hodge. Odom is a guy that I expect to land a power conference job within the next couple of years. I will trust the Aggies here. Let’s cash this in.

Missouri vs Utah State Pick

Pick: Utah State ML (-120) Bet $100 to collect $183 Get the best odds at DraftKings; click here to bet