Missouri vs Princeton Prediction, Picks & Odds | NCAA Tournament

Well, it’s safe to say that if you went into this NCAA Tournament concerned about whether or not there would be any “March Madness,” you got your answer right away from the South Region.

The No. 2 Arizona Wildcats, many may have predicted to reach the Final Four, were bounced before the Round of the 32 by the No. 15 seed Princeton Tigers. 

Will Princeton prove to be this year’s Cinderella story? In this March Madness TNT matchup, we'll find out between them and their fellow Tigers from Missouri. 

WSN $2,300 FREE BRACKET CHALLENGE: Details Here

PointsBet Promo for Kansas State vs Montana State

At PointsBet Sportsbook, you’ll receive five bonus bets in the amount of $100 as a new player. What makes this offer more enticing, though, is that you receive each $100 bonus bet on a daily basis over the first five days of having your new account. 

So, if you sign up today, you could use your first $100 bonus bet on this game and continue to do so throughout the remainder of the weekend slate. 

Claim your PointsBet Sportsbook welcome bonus now by clicking our exclusive link to send you there, then just sign up for an account. 

Use promo code “WELCOME” during registration. 

#15 Princeton Preview

Heading into their game against Arizona, Princeton faced a No. 2 seed team with a 9-2 record against Quad 1 teams. Meanwhile, the Tigers were 0-1 against Quad 1 teams and 2-2 against Quad 2.

So what happened?

First and foremost, credit to Princeton for overcoming a 10-point deficit. In terms of Arizona’s performance, they scored just four points over the last eight minutes of the game and made just three three-point shots (18.8%). This was far less than their 38.17% rate, ranking 16th in the nation.

Simply put, Princeton beat them up, blocking six shots. Princeton also had a slight edge in the turnover and rebounds battle. 

Also, Arizona still beat Princeton in field goal and three-point percentage. 

On the year, the Tigers rank 74th in the nation in points per game at 76. It’ll be interesting to see if their KenPom ranking of 98th shows up in this game. 

Key Players & Key Stats

Against the Wildcats, Princeton honestly didn’t have any standout players. In terms of team stats, Princeton lost in the following categories:

• Field goal percentage
• Three-point percentage
• Defensive rebounds
• Assists

A big factor in this four-point difference was Ryan Langborg and Keeshawn Kellman having two blocks each and Tosan Evbuomwan leading the way with 15 points. 

Princeton does rank quite low at 164th in the nation in three-point percentage at 34.45%, but they shot just 16% (4-of-25) from deep—that’ll need to change. 

Check Out the WSN NCAA Tournament Page: Game Preview For Every NCAA Tournament Game

#7 Missouri Preview

Even as the higher seed, Missouri was the underdog against No. 10 Utah State. The Tigers from Missouri took care of business, winning 76-65. 

Both teams were top offensive units, with Missouri ranking 23rd in the nation with 79.5 points per game. The concern with Missouri was their defense which allows 74.6 points per game (297th), but they allowed 10 points less than that, thanks to Utah State’s terrible performance from the three-point range (4-of-24; 16.7%). 

For Missouri, they shot 51% from the field, 40% from three-point range, and four players scored double-digit points. 

Utah State had five more turnovers and four fewer steals than the Tigers.

Despite their season-long defensive woes, Missouri played well here, and their offense clicked. 

Key Players & Key Stats

As mentioned, four players on the Tigers had double-digit points, including Noah Carter, DeAndre Gholston, and team leaders D’Moi Hodge and Kobe Brown.

Hodge and Brown combined for 42 points, 12 rebounds, four assists, and six steals. 

Hodge was also lethal from three-point range, taking 10 shots and making five. He was also 8-of-14 from the floor. 

Needless to say, Hodge and Brown will be a problem moving forward in the tournament. 

Check Out The Best NCAA Tournament Betting Promos: WSN NCAA Tournament March Madness Promos & Bonuses

Odds, Previews, Picks, Best Bets for Kansas State vs Montana State

Despite Princeton’s gutsy effort against one of the better teams in college basketball this season, it’s hard to imagine that the lightning will strike twice here against Missouri.

Arizona had a terrible day shooting the basketball, while Missouri is coming off a game that would’ve overwhelmed Princeton.

Princeton could play physically again here, but Missouri has too many offensive options, like Hodge, Brown, and Gholston. 

The physical play could help, but Princeton doesn’t have a player that can go toe-to-toe with Hodge or Brown. 

Look for Missouri’s offense to keep firing away here. 

Best Bet: Missouri -6.5 (-110) at PointsBet

Kansas State vs Montana State How to Watch

Location: Golden 1 Center, Sacramento, California

Game Time & Date: March 18, 2023, at 6:10 PM ET

TV Network: TNT

Streaming: Hulu