NCAA Tournament First Four Betting Guide: #16 Fairleigh Dickinson vs. #16 Texas Southern

The NCAA Tournament is here with a fantastic appetizer in the First Four. The action continues Wednesday from Dayton, with two auto bids facing off for one of the final two spots in the Round of 64. We look at the game and how you can find value in the matchups to prepare you for Wednesday’s action.#16 Texas Southern vs. #16 Fairleigh Dickinson Game Information

Location: University of Dayton Arena – Dayton, OH
Time: 6:40 p.m. ET | TV: tru TV

First Four Game Odds on FanDuel

Spread: Texas Southern -2.5 (-105) | Fairleigh Dickinson +2.5 (-115)
Moneyline: Texas Southern -126 | Fairleigh Dickinson +105
Total: OVER 147.5 (-110) | UNDER 147.5 (-110)

Fairleigh Dickinson has pulled off quite the rare feat, losing their season’s final game and still finding a way into the field. It’s due to NEC’s Merrimack being ineligible for the NCAA Tournament, which left the runner-up Knights to be the league’s representative. They are comfortably the worst team in the field at 312th on KenPom with the third-worst defense in college basketball.

FDU may be the worst team ever to reach the NCAA Tournament. Since KenPom’s inception in 2002, the Knights have had the lowest pre-tourney ranking of any team to make the field. It’s primarily due to a historically weak NEC this season, but losing your championship game doesn’t help.

As for Texas Southern, it’s a third-consecutive trip to Dayton for the Tigers after winning in each of their previous two showings. Entering the SWAC Tournament as the eight-seed didn’t seem like much of a chance for another run to the First Four. Alas, head coach Johnny Jones worked his magic, and Texas Southern is back.

Between an incredibly weak schedule and lack of defense, the Knights feel out of their depth. During his time at Texas Southern, Jones has put together a wildly aggressive non-conference schedule every season, ranking fourth in the nation in strength this year. The Tigers have the coaching, defensive, and scheduling edge here, which makes them much better prepared for Wednesday night’s battle.

Take Texas Southern and lay the points here.