The NCAA Tournament’s First Four continues Wednesday with a pair of No. 16 seeds, SWAC champion Texas Southern and NEC runner-up Fairleigh Dickinson, squaring off in Dayton, Ohio.
Tip-off is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. on truTV. The winner will advance to play No. 1-seed Purdue in the first round of the East Regional on Friday in Columbus.
Read on for my Texas Southern vs Fairleigh Dickinson prediction and best bets.
Texas Southern vs Fairleigh Dickinson Odds
Note: CBB odds mentioned in this article for Team vs Team were used from DraftKings Sportsbook, unless otherwise noted, and are current as of Tuesday, March 14, at 11:30 a.m. ET.
- Moneyline: Texas Southern (-130) | Fairleigh Dickinson (+110)
- Spread: Texas Southern -2 (-110) | Fairleigh Dickinson +2 (-110)
- Total: Over 146.5 (-110) | Under 146.5 (-110)
Texas Southern vs Fairleigh Dickinson Pick of the Day
Keep reading for more Texas Southern vs Fairleigh Dickinson betting tips.
Texas Southern vs Fairleigh Dickinson Prediction
Fairleigh Dickinson 73, Texas Southern 70
Texas Southern overcame a relatively underwhelming regular season (7-11 in SWAC play) to knock off top-seeded Grambling State and win the conference tournament. But momentum can be fleeting. The Tigers’ inefficiency on offense (322nd nationally in effective field goal percentage) will catch up to them.
📈 Keep track of NCAA Tournament winner odds to find our best March Madness bets:
Texas Southern vs Fairleigh Dickinson Best Bets
Fairleigh Dickinson: Over 33.5 First-Half Points (-120) | DraftKings Sportsbook
WAGER: 1 Unit
Fairleigh Dickinson doesn’t run the most precise offense. Still, despite its warts, it finished top 50 in the country in scoring, averaging 77.8 points per game. The Knights surpassed 33.5 first-half points in two of their three NEC Tournament games and should do so again here.
Texas Southern vs Fairleigh Dickinson Same Game Parlay
Texas Southern vs Fairleigh Dickinson Parlay (+175) | DraftKings Sportsbook
WAGER: 1 Unit
- Fairleigh Dickinson +2.5 (-130)
- Fairleigh Dickinson: Over 71.5 Total Points (-135)
- Over 141.5 Total Points (-185)
FDU feasts on creating mistakes and scoring in transition. That could pose problems for Texas Southern, which averages more than 14 turnovers a game, and create ample scoring opportunities for the Knights to smash this Over, which is more than six points below their season average.
