Utah State prepares to play TCU in the NCAA Tournament.

How To Watch:

Friday, March 22nd

TCU vs Utah State State (7:55 PM MT) | Coverage: TBS

Odds:

DraftKings Line:

TCU/Utah State State: +3.5 Utah State, O/U 150.5

(Odds/lines subject to change. Visit DraftKings for more information.)

Like many teams in the Mountain West, no one would blame the Utah State players if they were surprised at being named an 8-seed after winning the regular season crown of the bloodbath known as the Mountain West Conference, especially when they were tabbed to be a 6 or 7 seed. Regardless, now they must prove themselves once again against TCU in their first-round game.

Proving themselves is what the Aggies have done time and time again this season. New coach Danny Sprinkle inherited zero returning points from last season's team and ended up shocking the college basketball world by going 27-6 on the season. Utah State is a battle-tested team and was no stranger to tight games this season. They had to come back from behind a number of times and hit big shots this season in the final minutes of the game.

Also, the Aggies have a few players with NCAA Tournament experience, including point guard Darius Brown II, guard Ian Martinez, and forward Great Osobor. Expect Utah State to play the same way it has all season, spreading the ball around to get some efficient points from a multitude of players.

Meanwhile, TCU scuffled to the finish line this season, loving four of their last six games en route to a seventh-place (tied) finish in the competitive Big 12. Overall, their record was 21-12 after getting ousted in the second round of the conference tournament to Houston in a low-scoring affair.

Overall, expect this to be a high scoring game, with both teams in the 70s and potentially even breaking 80. Both of these teams are known for high-scoring offenses and so-so defenses. The Horned Frogs figure to have an edge on the boards, but the Aggies will probably turn the ball over less. If one of these teams can reverse one of those trends, they could gain an advantage. A close game at the end would figure to benefit Utah State, as they have won a number of close games late this season and are prone to coming up with big shots at the end of the game thanks to Brown II and Osobor.

Let’s go Utah State 79, TCU 75.