March Madness continues on Thursday, with 16 games between 32 different teams. Among the early matchups to watch, Texas A&M vs. Yale has plenty of intrigue. The Aggies enjoyed another terrific season, earning a #4 seed after surviving a brutal SEC schedule. The Bulldogs are back in the NCAA Tournament, having won their second straight Ivy League title.
Texas A&M enters this contest as 7.5-point favorites, with the over/under set at 138.5 points. Below is my college basketball pick on DraftKings Sportsbook for Thursday’s March Madness showdown.
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#4 Texas A&M vs. #13 Yale (4:25 PM EST)
What’s carried Texas A&M to a 22-10 record? Defense, rebounding, and even more rebounding. The Aggies have allowed 67.9 points per game (59th in the nation) while recording 41.2 boards per game (fifth in the nation). The team’s 16.1 offensive rebounds are the most in all of college basketball.
If there’s a flaw for A&M, it’s an inability to score consistently. The team ranks 42nd in adjusted offensive efficiency, per KenPom. That’s not a terrible mark, but it is below several teams that didn’t even reach the NCAA Tournament. Guards Wade Taylor IV (15.7 PPG) and Zhuric Phelps (14.1 PPG) have combined for over 40% of the team’s points per game. That leaves the Aggies heavily dependent on the production of their back court.
Yale plays a much different brand of basketball, scoring the 25th-most points in the nation (81.7 PPG). Leading the way this season is John Poulakidas. The guard has averaged 19.2 points per game on efficient shooting splits (45.4/40.9/89.0). As a group, the Bulldogs have knocked down 38.8% of their three-point shots, eighth-best in the nation.
On paper, this could be the perfect storm for a March Madness shocker. Upsets tend to happen when a slow-paced offense meets a squad that can shoot. In addition, Yale has experience against another SEC powerhouse, knocking out Auburn in the Round of 64 last season. Still, Texas A&M’s size and physicality are a handful for any roster. The Aggies are too talented to go home this early, but I’m expecting plenty of fight from the Bulldogs.
College Basketball Pick: Yale +7.5 (1 Unit)
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