Missouri vs Princeton Prediction, Odds & Best Bet for March 18 NCAA Tournament Game (Back the Favorite on Saturday)

Missouri vs Princeton Game Info

• 2022-23 NCAA Tournament Game
• No. 23 Missouri (25-9) vs. Princeton (22-8)
• Date: Saturday, March 18, 2023
• Time: 6:10 PM ET
• Venue: Golden 1 Center -- Sacramento, California
• Coverage: TNT

The 2023 NCAA Tournament continues on Saturday with a Round of 32 matchup between the No. 15 Princeton Tigers and No. 7 Missouri Tigers. Princeton is aiming to earn its first Sweet 16 appearance since 1967, while Missouri is looking to make it past the second round for the first time since 2009.

Princeton pulled off a major upset when it took down No. 2-seeded Arizona on Thursday behind a standout performance from Tosan Evbuomwan (15 points, 7 assists & 4 rebounds). Meanwhile, Missouri pulled away late in a 76-65 win over Utah State as it shot 40.0% from three-point range.

Missouri vs Princeton Odds & Spread

• All college basketball betting lines, odds and prop bets are from FanDuel Sportsbook.
• Moneyline: MIZZOU: (-265) | PRINCE: (+215)
• Spread: MIZZOU: -6.5 (-110) | PRINCE: +6.5 (-110)
• Total: 149.5 -- Over: (-110) | Under: (-110)

Missouri enters this contest as a clear favorite on the moneyline and spread per FanDuel Sportsbook's odds. This 6:10 p.m. ET clash also features an over/under of 149.5 points, which is above average compared to Saturday's projected totals.

Missouri vs Princeton Betting Trends

• Missouri's record against the spread is 17-15-0.
• As 6.5-point favorites or more, the Missouri Tigers are 4-6 against the spread.
• This season, 16 of Missouri's 32 games have hit the over.
• Princeton has beaten the spread 16 times in 28 games.
• The Princeton Tigers are unbeaten ATS (2-0) as a 6.5-point underdog or greater this season.
• This year, 16 of Princeton's 28 games have gone over the point total.

Missouri Rank	Missouri AVG		Princeton AVG	Princeton Rank
23rd	79.4	Points Scored	75.4	89th
297th	74.3	Points Allowed	68.1	121st
355th	27.6	Rebounds	35.8	15th
254th	7.7	Off. Rebounds	8.6	178th
22nd	9.4	3pt Made	8.4	65th
21st	16.0	Assists	13.2	163rd
51st	10.6	Turnovers	11.9	187th

Missouri vs Princeton Prediction & Pick

Each team enters this game with a distinct edge. For Princeton, that is its ability to rebound the ball. The Tigers rank 24th in total rebounding percentage (53.5%) and average a solid 38.3 total rebounds per game (No. 20 in NCAA). Missouri ranks outside the top 340 teams in both of those categories.

On the other side, Missouri can light it up from deep. Head coach Dennis Gates' team ranks 19th in three-pointers made per game (9.4) and has drained at least 10 shots from beyond the arc in four of its last six games. This game is going to come down to which squad can capitalize on its advantage.

I like Missouri to be that team because it cares care of the ball. Missouri ranks fourth in turnovers forced per game (17.1), meaning it can limit Princeton's chances of grabbing offensive boards by taking away the ball. Of course, that leads to more opportunities to sink three-pointers as well.

Final Score Prediction: Missouri: 78 | Princeton: 68

Missouri vs Princeton Best Bet

Keep in mind three-point shooting and turnovers are not the only two statistics that heavily favor Missouri here. Princeton shoots only 71.2% from the free throw line (No. 206 in NCAA), while Missouri shoots 75.5% (No. 47 in NCAA). In a game that could come down to the wire, that is a big difference.

Missouri enters Saturday 4-2 against the spread (ATS) in its last six games overall and 10-5 ATS in games away from Mizzou Arena this season. Princeton has lost four of its last five games against an SEC opponent and lacks enough depth to keep up with a Missouri team chock-full of elite shooters.

Bet: Missouri Tigers -6.5 (-110)

Larry Rupp is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Larry Rupp also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username phillyfan424. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in their articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel. 

Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.