Free March Madness Picks Today For First Round 2023: Missouri Tigers vs Utah State Aggies 3/16/23

The No. 7 seed Missouri Tigers (24-9, 12-8 SEC) face off against the No. 10 seed Utah State Aggies (26-8, 15-6 MWC) Thursday at Golden 1 Center in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.

Utah State lost to the San Diego State Aztecs 62-57 at Thomas & Mack Center on Saturday in the Mountain West Conference Tournament Championship. Steven Ashworth was the top scorer in defeat with 13 points. Trevin Dorius was another standout performer with 12 points.

Missouri fell short in the semifinals of the Southeastern Conference Tourney on Saturday at Bridgestone Arena, falling to the Alabama Crimson Tide 72-61.

D’Moi Hodge had 21 points and nine rebounds in the losing effort to lead the team. The Aggies have been led this season by Ashworth, who is averaging 16.3 points per game. Ashworth also has dished 4.5 assists per game.

Meanwhile, Dan Akin is grabbing 6.9 rebounds.Kobe Brown and Hodge have supplied much of the Tigers’ offense, averaging 15.4 and 14.8 points per game, respectively. Brown also has pulled down 6.1 rebounds per game. Nick Honor has distributed 2.9 assists per game.

The Aggies and the Tigers rank as two of the most productive offenses in the NCAA, 16th and 23rd in offensive efficiency, respectively. In the last 10 games, Utah State is 7-3 with an average margin of +8.5 (74.2-65.7).

For the season, the Aggies are averaging 78.6 points per game, compared to 69.7 for opponents. Missouri has also gone 7-3 over the last 10, allowing 74.0 points per game on average while scoring only 73.9 (-0.1 margin). The Tigers are averaging 79.5 ppg for the full season while allowing 74.6.

AGGIES HOT/COLD

(Last Five | Season Average | Differential)
Points + Rebounds + Assists:
Rylan Jones: 0.0 | 6.4 | -6.4
Rebounds per game:
Sean Bairstow: 6.6 | 5.1 | +1.5

TIGERS HOT/COLD

(Last Five | Season Average | Differential)
Points + Rebounds + Assists:
Isiaih Mosley: 0.0 | 6.2 | -6.2
Points per game:
D’Moi Hodge: 20.4 | 14.8 | +5.6

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*Odds correct at time of publication, courtesy of BetMGM.