Utah State vs Missouri Prediction, Odds & Best Bet for March 16 NCAA Tournament Game (Aggies' Rebounding Pays Off)

Utah State vs Missouri Game Info

• 2022-23 NCAA Tournament Game
• Utah State (26-8) vs. No. 25 Missouri (24-9)
• Date: Thursday, March 16, 2023
• Time: 1:40 PM ET
• Venue: Golden 1 Center -- Sacramento, California
• Coverage: TNT

Thursday, March 16's 2022-23 NCAA Tournament schedule includes some South Region action as the No. 10 Utah State Aggies look to overcome the No. 7 Missouri Tigers.

Both sides seek bounce-back performances after losing in their last outing. Utah State battled hard in its matchup with San Diego State in the MWC Championship Game, only to lose 62-57 due to a second-half collapse. Meanwhile, Missouri came up short in its bid to win the SEC Championship, falling 72-61 to Alabama.

Which of these teams will be th eone to turn things around to avoid elimination at Golden 1 Center?

Utah State vs Missouri Odds & Spread

• All college basketball betting lines, odds and prop bets are from FanDuel Sportsbook.
• Moneyline: UT ST: (-110) | MIZZOU: (-110)
• Spread: UT ST: -1.5 (-104) | MIZZOU: +1.5 (-118)
• Total: 154.5 -- Over: (-110) | Under: (-110)

Utah State enters this contest as a slim favorite on the spread while the moneyline is a pick 'em situation per FanDuel Sportsbook's odds. This 1:40 p.m. ET clash also features an over/under of 154.5 points with both sides sitting at -110 odds.

Utah State vs Missouri Betting Trends

• Utah State has beaten the spread 21 times in 33 games.
• The Aggies have an ATS record of 21-8 as 2.5-point favorites or more.
• This season, 20 of Utah State's 33 games have gone over the point total.
• Missouri is 16-15-0 against the spread this year.
• As 2.5-point underdogs or more, the Tigers are 5-7 against the spread.
• Out of Missouri's 31 games so far this season, 16 have gone over the total.

Utah State vs Missouri Prediction & Pick

There's no denying that these teams own two of the best offenses in the country. Utah State averages 77.7 PPG (No. 32) while Missouri operates at a 79.5 PPG clip (No. 18). Having said that, the Aggies are more accurate with their shots. They average .475/.385/.767 splits, whereas the Tigers shoot .473/ .361/.758. It's not a huge difference, but it does matter in big-game scenarios.

Utah State also knows how to close out the opposition's possessions. The Aggies average 26.0 defensive rebounds (No. 13), which has increased to 28.3 over the last three games. That could be trouble for the Tigers, who post the 19th-fewest total rebounds in the country.

With Utah State winning its last seven outings as the odds-on favorite, I don't see the Aggies losing this week.

Final Score Prediction: Utah State: 76 | Missouri: 72

Utah State vs Missouri Best Bet

Although there's decent value with an outright Utah State win, I'll back Ryan Odom's squad on the spread instead. Not only are the Aggies an impressive 7-1 ATS in their last eight games, but they're also 4-1 ATS against their last five SEC opponents. Meanwhile, Missouri is just 4-8 ATS in its last 12 Thursday matchups.

Utah State also has a better ATS record this season (21-12) than Missouri (17-16), further backing my belief that the Aggies can win this by at least a basket.

Bet: Utah State -1.5 (-104)

Devon Platana is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Devon Platana also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username PepeSilvia0. 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.