Texas Southern vs Farleigh Dickinson Prediction, Picks & Odds | NCAA Tournament

The Texas Southern Tigers will battle with the Farleigh Dickinson Knights in a First Four matchup. Texas Southern struggled all season long but won when it mattered most. The Tigers got hot in their conference tournament and beat Grambling in the SWAC Tournament final. On the other side, Farleigh Dickinson had a strong season and finished in second place in their conference. They did not win their conference tournament but were granted a bid to March Madness.

This should be an exciting game. Both teams clawed their way to the tournament, so it will likely go down to the wire.

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Texas Southern vs Farleigh Dickinson Odds

Here are the latest odds for the Texas Southern vs Farleigh Dickinson game from BetMGM. Check out our full list of the best March Madness betting sites to find the right sportsbook for you.

#16 Texas Southern Team Preview

The Texas Southern Tigers may have notched an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament, but they are not a great team. They play in the SWAC (a mid-major conference) and only had a 7-11 conference record. Their season could best be described as streaky. Once they began conference play, they went on a five-game losing streak followed by a three-game winning streak. The Tigers followed that up with another winning and losing streak in the final six games of the season. Simply put, Texas Southern never developed consistency against their conference.

The Tigers struggled a lot on the defensive end this season and allowed nearly 73 points per game. This would be fine if their offense was averaging 75 or more points a game, but that is not the case. The Tigers’ offense could only muster 67.9 points and averaged less than 12 assists per game. 

Texas Southern will need to perform to their potential on the defensive end to win this game. They held Grambling to 58 points in the SWAC Tournament final and must replicate that success against Farleigh Dickinson.

#16 Texas Southern Key Players & Key Stats

Texas Southern has a handful of key players, but I will only focus on Davon Barnes and PJ Henry. These two lead Texas Southern in points per game (13.6 and 12.7) and excelled in the SWAC Tournament. Barnes and Henry averaged 17.3 and 18.7 points in those three games. These two play different positions but have pretty similar numbers. They score at nearly the same consistency and shoot above 75% from the free-throw line. Texas Southern will need to see this duo excel in this game. If they do not come prepared, the Tigers will lose.

The Tigers struggle mightily from behind the arc and the free-throw line. They only hit 66.1% of their free-throw attempts and 28.4% of their three-point attempts. Both of these numbers are concerningly low. Texas Southern must flip the script this game and start hitting their free throws and knocking it down from deep.

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#16 Farleigh Dickinson Team Preview

Farleigh Dickinson narrowly lost the NEC Tournament final but had a strong season overall. The Knights were 10-6 in conference play and went on one long winning streak early in the season. That winning streak gave them momentum and built their team chemistry.

Farleigh Dickinson, like Texas Southern, struggles defensively. They allow 76.3 points per game and have allowed as many as 99 points in a game this year. However, unlike Texas Southern, Farleigh Dickinson has a strong offense and averages 76 points per game. This is because they have a well-rounded attack and have four players (Demetre Roberts, Grant Singleton, Ansley Almonor, and Joe Munder Jr.) averaging ten or more points a game.

The Knights are a guard-heavy team that likes to pass. However, that often means they are the smaller team. While they average 15 assists per game, they only secure 34.1 rebounds. Those 15 assists are in the top 100 of Division I, but the 34.1 rebounds are in the bottom 100). Farleigh Dickinson will be the smaller team in this game but must play big. They have to protect the rim and box out on all rebounds.

Farleigh Dickinson Key Players & Key Stats

Demetre Roberts leads the Knights in scoring, but their key player is Grant Singleton. Grant Singleton averages 14.2 points, 3.6 rebounds, 3.3 assists, and 1.9 steals per game. The 5’9” guard is an excellent shooter, shooting 38.5% from deep and 91.5% from the free-throw line. Singleton has been a little quieter in his last few games and must return to form in this matchup. He will be called in clutch moments and must show up.

The Knights are full of guards and shoot very well. They shoot 45.5% from the field and 34.6 from deep. This will be the key to them winning the game. They are the smaller team but also, the better shooting team. Farleigh Dickinson must make their open shots to their ticket to the Round of 64.

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Odds, Previews, Picks, Best Bets for #16 Texas Southern vs. #16 Farleigh Dickinson

Farleigh Dickinson is just barely favored to win. They come in as 2.5 favorites, so it is safe to say that Vegas believes this will be a close game. I would agree with that conclusion, as both of these teams play in conferences of similar difficulty. Typically, when mid-major colleges face each other in the First Four, the games are close.

Even though Texas Southern has a lot of momentum from winning their conference tournament, I do not expect them to win this game. They are a little worse than Farleigh Dickinson and will struggle with the Knights’ speed. 

Farleigh Dickinson has a guard-heavy rotation, while Texas Southern has a forward-heavy rotation. This will create for an interesting chess match, but Farleigh Dickinson has the upper hand. 

The Knights shoot and pass better than the Tigers, while the Tigers rebound and block better than the Knights. Both teams have strengths, but Farleigh Dickinson will be able to utilize their strengths more. They will be able to outrun and outshoot Texas Southern. If they use their excess stamina, they will build a lead early and never look back. Bet on the smaller team and bet on the Knights. 

#16 Texas Southern vs. #16 Farleigh Dickinson: How to Watch

Location: UD Arena, Dayton, Ohio

Game Time & Date: Wednesday, March 15, 6:40 p.m. EST

TV Network: TruTV

Streaming: FuboTV, Hulu, YouTube TV, etc.

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