Texas A&M vs. Penn State: 2023 NCAA Tournament Odds, Preview & Predictions
March Madness is officially here! The 2023 NCAA Tournament Bracket has been announced, and the teams are lining up for the Big Dance. Let’s take a look at the early odds, preview, and predictions for the 2023 NCAA Tournament Round 1 game: Texas A&M vs. Penn State.
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2023 March Madness Odds, Preview & Predictions: Texas A&M vs. Penn State
Texas A&M vs. Penn State Odds, Spread & Match Up Overview
- Texas A&M Spread: -2.5
- Penn State Spread: +2.5
- Texas A&M Moneyline: -180
- Penn State Moneyline: +135
- Game Over/Under: 134
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Texas A&M 2023 NCAA Tournament Betting Preview
No two teams were more different this year than first-half Texas A&M and second-half Texas A&M. Since New Year’s, the Aggies have been a top-10 team, per Bart Torvik, dropping only three regular-season games in 2023.
It makes sense that this team took a while to come around. Texas A&M takes a lot of charges, draws a lot of contact, and runs a lot of sets that might require a build-up of muscle memory. Buzz Williams’ team scores over 25 percent of its points from the free throw line, which causes a lot of problems for defenses trying to stay out of foul trouble. We saw Brandon Miller and Mark Sears both foul out of the regular-season finale vs. Alabama. Being able to manufacture bench minutes for opponents’ best players is a recipe for success, and Texas A&M is the best at cooking that up. Wade Taylor is one of the best point guards in the SEC if not all of Division I, with his ability to facilitate, guard, and score. Taylor is a dynamic player who gets to the charity stripe at one of the highest rates in the nation and capitalizes on his opportunities.
The Aggies are a talented team all around, ranking in the top 40 both offensively and defensively. They rebound the lights out and allow very little inside, with 42 percent of opponent points coming from inside the arc. Texas A&M’s weaknesses show in three-point scoring and three-point defense, but even those flaws don’t hold them back too much. It will be interesting to see if the second-half Aggies squad shows up in the tournament. We saw A&M make a deep NIT run last year after its NCAA bubble burst, so I wouldn’t be surprised by yet another deep run.
Penn State 2023 NCAA Tournament Betting Preview
After losing four straight Big Ten games to start February, the Nittany Lions’ tournament hopes seemed to be vanquished. But after winning five of their last six games and making it to the championship game of the Big Ten Tournament, they sneak into the NCAA tourney as potentially one of the most dangerous double-digit seeds out there.
Jalen Pickett leads the charge for Penn State as one of the best guards in the nation, ranking in the top 10 of KenPom’s player of the year standings. Pickett can do it all, scoring efficiently on both two-pointers and three-pointers and posting one of the highest assist rates in the country. His ability to draw defenders before kicking it to Penn State sharpshooters Seth Lundy, Andrew Funk, or Camren Wynter is a big reason why this offense ranks in the top 25 in adjusted efficiency. Oh … and all three of those players I just mentioned shoot above 40 percent from beyond the arc. The Nittany Lions take care of the ball and shoot a ton of those deep shots. With their dependence on the three, they are one of the most inconsistent teams in the nation.
The Nittany Lions have a wide range of possible tournament outcomes. Penn State could lose its first game by 20 points or make a deep tournament run led by Pickett. I’m guessing the latter is the more likely outcome. Penn State’s talented shooters are too good to all go cold at the same time, and this team seems to be peaking at the right time. The Nittany Lions’ sub-100-ranked defense caps their ceiling a bit, but this should be an exciting team to watch this March.
Round 1 & First Four Betting Picks & Predictions
South
- #16 Texas A&M-CC vs. #16 Southeast Missouri St. (First Four)
- #8 Maryland vs. #9 West Virginia
- #5 San Diego St. vs. #12 Charleston
- #4 Virginia vs. #13 Furman
- #6 Creighton vs. #11 NC State
- #3 Baylor vs. #14 UC Santa Barbara
- #7 Missouri vs. #10 Utah State
- #2 Arizona vs. #15 Princeton
East
- #8 Memphis vs. #9 Florida Atlantic
- #5 Duke vs. #12 Oral Roberts
- #4 Tennessee vs. #13 Louisiana
- #6 Kentucky vs. #11 Providence
- #3 Kansas State vs. #14 Montana State
- #7 Michigan State vs. #10 USC
- #2 Marquette vs. #15 Vermont
West
- #1 Kansas vs. #16 Howard
- #8 Arkansas vs. #9 Illinois
- #5 Saint Mary’s vs. #12 VCU
- #4 UConn vs. #13 Iona
- #11 Arizona State vs. #11 Nevada (First Four)
- #3 Gonzaga vs. #14 Grand Canyon
- #7 Northwestern vs. #10 Boise State
- #2 UCLA vs. #15 UNC Asheville
Midwest
- #1 Houston vs. #16 Northern Kentucky
- #8 Iowa vs. #9 Auburn
- #5 Miami vs. #12 Drake
- #4 Indiana vs. #13 Kent State
- #11 Mississippi State vs. #11 Pitt (First Four)
- #3 Xavier vs. #14 Kennesaw State
- #7 Texas A&M vs. #10 Penn State
- #2 Texas vs. #15 Colgate
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