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March Madness 2023 First Four Predictions & Best Bets
Written by: Eddie Griffin
Last Updated:
Read Time: 4 minutes
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Tonight, March Madness will officially get underway in Dayton, Ohio, as the First Four round of the 2023 NCAA Division I men’s basketball tournament tips off in Dayton, Ohio.
The night will start with Texas A&M-Corpus Christi and Southeast Missouri State meeting in a battle of #16 seeds (6:40 pm ET, truTV), while the second game will see #11s Mississippi State and Pittsburgh face off (9:10 pm ET, truTV).
The winner of the first game will advance to meet #1 overall seed Alabama in a South Region showdown on Thursday (2:45 pm ET, CBS), while the Pittsburgh-Mississippi State winner will face #6 Iowa State in a Midwest Region contest on Friday (3:10 pm ET, truTV).
Tomorrow, Texas Southern and Fairleigh Dickinson, the #16s out of the East, will meet with a matchup with Purdue at stake, while #11s Arizona State & Nevada will play for the chance to face #6 TCU in a West Regional first-round action.
Below, we have our predictions & best bets for all four of the First Four games.
While you’re here, you should sign up for our March Madness bracket challenge. We’re giving away a Betting News swag pack for the winner. You like free stuff, right?
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March Madness 2023 First Four – Tuesday, March 14
All listed game odds are via BetOnline unless noted otherwise.
#16 Southeast Missouri State (19-16) vs #16 Texas A&M-Corpus Christi (23-10), 6:40 pm ET, truTV
[su_box title=”Southeast Missouri State vs Texas A&M-Corpus Christi Odds” style=”default” box_color=”#0D347D” title_color=”#FFFFFF” radius=”4″]
Spread
- Southeast Missouri State +3.5 (-110)
- Texas A&M-Corpus Christi -3.5 (-110)
Over/Under
- Over 157.5 (-105)
- Under 157.5 (-115)
Moneyline
- Southeast Missouri State +138
- Texas A&M-Corpus Christi -166
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High-scoring games have been infrequent in the First Four. Only 12 of 44 have featured 150 or more points, and three of those 12 went to overtime.
But the prospect of points in this matchup is high. The Islanders of Texas A&M-CC enter March Madness 17th in the country in scoring (80.4 PPG), and they have scored 80 or more points 20 times in 33 games this season.
SEMO is third in the OVC in scoring (78.1 PPG), but they also have the second-worst defense in the conference (76.7 PPG). The Redhawks have scored 80+ points 15 times this season, but they have also given up 80+ points 16 times.
Southeast Missouri State vs Texas A&M-Corpus Christi Prediction: Texas A&M-Corpus Christi to win
Southeast Missouri State vs Texas A&M-Corpus Christi Pick: Texas A&M-Corpus Christi team total over 80.5 (Best Value: BetOnline)
#11 Pittsburgh vs #11 Mississippi State (21-12), 9:10 pm ET, truTV
[su_box title=”Info” style=”default” box_color=”#0D347D” title_color=”#FFFFFF” radius=”4″]
Spread
- Pittsburgh +2.5 (-110)
- Mississippi State -2.5 (-110)
Over/Under
- Over 133.5 (-115)
- Under 133.5 (-105)
Moneyline
- Pittsburgh +116
- Mississippi State -140
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Pittsburgh vs Mississippi State Prediction: Mississippi State to win
Pittsburgh vs Mississippi State Pick: Mississippi State ML (Best Value: BetOnline/Bovada Sportsbook/BetMGM)
Interested in checking out March Madness picks from other sources? There are a number of reputable sports handicapping services that we recommend.
One of those sources is Doc’s Sports, which has a great offer going right now.
Doc’s Sports offers a lot of free picks and content, but they also offer $60 worth of premium sports picks free for new premium signups.
March Madness First Four – Wednesday, March 15
Fairleigh Dickinson vs Texas Southern, 6:40 pm ET, truTV
[su_box title=”Info” style=”default” box_color=”#0D347D” title_color=”#FFFFFF” radius=”4″]
Spread
- Fairleigh Dickinson +2 (-110)
- Texas Southern -2 (-110)
Over/Under
- Over 148 (-110)
- Under 148 (-110)
Moneyline
- Fairleigh Dickinson +110
- Texas Southern -130
[/su_box]
Odds are via Bovada Sportsbook.
Fairleigh Dickinson vs Texas Southern Prediction: Texas Southern to win
Fairleigh Dickinson vs Texas Southern Pick: Texas Southern ML (Best Value: Bovada Sportsbook)
Arizona State vs Nevada, 9:10 pm ET, truTV
[su_box title=”Arizona State vs Nevada Odds” style=”default” box_color=”#0D347D” title_color=”#FFFFFF” radius=”4″]
Spread
- Arizona State -2.5 (-102)
- Nevada +2.5 (-120)
Over/Under
- Over 133.5 (-115)
- Under 133.5 (-105)
Moneyline
- Arizona State -128
- Nevada +106
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ASU vs Nevada Prediction: Arizona State to win
ASU vs Nevada Picks: ASU ML (Best Value: BetOnline) & ASU team total over 67.5 (Best Value: BetUS)
Where to Bet on the First Four
Here are four legal sports betting sites that we highly recommend and have reviewed, where you can bet on the NCAA Tournament.
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March Madness is one of the most widely bet on sporting events every year, and you can get in on the action at any of the top sports betting sites out there. But these four books are all reputable names, and you can trust them with your betting funds.
Other March Madness Content at Betting News
If you’d like to check out our other March Madness betting content (which you can also find at our March Madness hub), here’s a rundown of what we have put together to help you with your NCAA Tournament betting.
- March Madness 2023 Bracket
- March Madness Odds
- Final Four Odds
- March Madness Sleepers
- March Madness Betting Trends & Stats to Know for 2023
- Where to Find the Best March Madness Betting Picks
- Best March Madness Betting Sites
- Best March Madness Bracket Challenges
- Betting News Bracket Mania (Our FREE March Madness Bracket Challenge!)
This site contains commercial content. We may be compensated for the links provided on this page. The content on this page is for informational purposes only. Betting News makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the information given or the outcome of any game or event.
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