First Four: Texas Southern vs Texas A&M-CC 3/15/22 College Basketball Picks, Predictions, Odds
Texas A&M-Corpus Christi Islanders (23-11) vs. Texas Southern Tigers (18-12)
March 15, 2022 6:40 pm EDT
The Line: Texas Southern Tigers -3.5 ; Over/Under: 135.5
(Get latest betting odds)
The Texas Southern Tigers and Texas A&M-CC Islanders clash Tuesday Tuesday night in NCAA Tournament First Four college basketball action from UD Arena. Texas Southern is 18-12 overall. The Tigers beat Alcorn State in conference tournament activity during their last game. As for Texas A&M-CC, they’re 23-11 this year and fresh off a win over SE Louisiana. Check back all season long for free college basketball picks at Sports Chat Place.
Texas Southern lost their first seven games this season, but the team has certainly turned things around since then. The Tigers’ last loss came to Alcorn State on February 28. Since then it’s been four straight wins over Prairie View A&M, Jackson State, Grambling and Alcorn State.
Matched up against Alcorn State on Saturday, the Tigers got off to a 42-38 lead by the break. Texas Southern kept it up with a 45-24 second-half run in an 87-62 blowout win. Tops in scoring was John Walker with 17 points and six boards.
Over on the Texas A&M-CC side, they’ve stayed pretty consistent this year; the team hasn’t lost consecutive games outside of a five-game losing streak in February. Texas A&M-CC has also won their last four, taking out Incarnate Word, Houston Baptist, Nicholls and SE Louisiana.
In the SE Louisiana game on Saturday, the Islanders were up 35-30 at halftime. Texas A&M-CC kept it going with a 38-35 stretch from there in a 73-65 win. Leading scorers Terrion Murdix and Jalen Jackson each scored 13 points with five assists.
PICK: I’m going to try Texas Southern in this one. The Tigers looked great in their tournament run; the 54-50 win over Jackson State was the only close game of the three. Texas Southern has been solid offensively over the last several games; they’ve hit 70 or more points in seven of their last eight outings.
As for Texas A&M-CC, they’ve been playing well themselves over this 7-1 run. The Islanders have scored 72 or more in six straight, so it wouldn’t be surprising to see a high-total finish here. Should be a good matchup, but I think Texas Southern can keep the pace.
