The No. 8 Utah State Aggies face off against the No .9 TCU Horned Frogs in the First Round of the 2024 NCAA Tournament. Tip-off is scheduled for 9:55 p.m. ET on Friday, March 22, and the game will air on TBS.
2024 March Madness picks
No. 8 Utah State vs. No. 9 TCU best bet
Utah State (27-6, 14-4 MWC) won the Mountain West’s regular season title this season, led by MWC Player of the Year Great Osobor, who averaged 18 points, 9.2 rebounds, and 1.5 blocks per game. The Aggies averaged 79 points per game this season and shot 48.8% from the field, ranking 11th in the nation. Osbor is backed up with plenty of offensive depth on the Aggies’ roster as one of four players averaging in the double digits, and the defense cannot be overlooked, either. Utah State kept opponents to 29% from the perimeter this season, ranking third in the nation.
TCU (21-12, 9-9 Big XII) averaged 79.2 points per game this season, a similar mark to the Aggies, and grabbed 9.1 steals per game, ranking 11th in the nation in that mark. The Horned Frogs finished conference play with the No. 8 seed. They lost three of their last four regular-season games before falling to Houston in the conference tournament. Forward Emmanuel Miller heads up the TCU offense, leading the roster with 15.9 points and 5.9 rebounds per game.
Betting lines
Spread: TCU -3.5
Total: 150.5
Moneyline: TCU -175, Utah State +145
All odds are courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook
Best bet: Utah State +3.5
TCU’s season ended not with a bang but a whimper, and this Utah State matchup will be a challenge for them. The Aggies will shut down the perimeter, forcing the Horned Frogs to go down low where Osobor will be waiting in a favorable matchup for Utah State. This should be a close game with Utah State’s sharpshooting offense on the other end of the floor, and I like the Aggies to cover here.