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Playing in a First Four game is nothing new to the Texas Southern Tigers, as they've done so each of the last two times they've participated in the NCAA Tournament. This year will be no different, as Texas Southern takes on the Texas A&M-Corpus Christi Islanders at the UD Arena in Dayton, Ohio on Tuesday in a 2022 NCAA Tournament First Four contest. The SWAC tournament-champion Tigers (18-12) won both of their previous First Four games, defeating North Carolina Central in 2018 and Mount St. Mary's last year. The Islanders (23-11) earned a berth in the Tournament for the second time in program history with their victory over Southeastern Louisiana for the Southland Conference title. 

The winner will be the No. 16 seed in the Midwest Region and face No. 1 Kansas on Thursday in the first round. Tipoff is set for 6:40 p.m. ET. The Tigers are 3.5-point favorites in the latest Texas Southern vs. Texas A&M-CC odds from Caesars Sportsbook, while the over-under for total points scored is 136. Before making any Texas A&M-CC vs. Texas Southern picks or college basketball predictions, be sure to see what SportsLine expert Larry Hartstein has to say

A former lead writer for Covers and The Linemakers, Hartstein combines a vast network of Vegas sources with an analytical approach he honed while working for Pro Football Focus. Larry has dominated his college basketball picks, going 245-193-8 ATS for a profit of $3,205 over the past two seasons.

In his last 118 against-the-spread picks in college basketball, Hartstein is an outstanding 71-44-3, returning $2,261 to $100 bettors. Anyone who has followed him is way up.

Now, he has set its sights on Texas Southern vs. Texas A&M-CC in the NCAA Tournament 2022. You can head to SportsLine to see his picks. Here are several college basketball odds and trends for Texas A&M-CC vs. Texas Southern:

  • Texas Southern vs. Texas A&M-CC spread: Tigers -3.5
  • Texas Southern vs. Texas A&M-CC over-under: 136 points
  • Texas Southern vs. Texas A&M-CC money line: Tigers -170, Islanders +145
  • TSU: The Tigers are 9-2 against the spread in their last 11 games against teams with winning records
  • TA&MCC: The Islanders are 10-3 ATS in their last 13 contests as underdogs

Why Texas Southern can cover 

The Tigers lost both regular-season meetings with Alcorn State before trouncing the Braves 87-62 in the SWAC tournament title game on Saturday. Junior guard PJ Henry scored 11 of his 15 points in the first half and senior forward John Walker III recorded 12 of his team-high 17 off the bench in the second half as Texas Southern posted its fourth consecutive win and seventh in eight outings. Three other players scored in double figures as the team made 55.7 percent of its shots in the triumph.

Walker is first on the Tigers with an average of 9.9 points and has reached double digits in two of his last three contests. Henry's minutes increased in the SWAC tournament and, as a result, so did his offensive output. He scored 15 or more points twice and averaged 14 over the three games.

Why Texas A&M-CC can cover

The Islanders are just as hot as Texas Southern, as they also have won four straight games and seven of their last eight. Junior guards Terrion Murdix and Jalen Jackson each scored 13 points to lead Texas A&M-CC in Saturday's triumph over Southeastern Louisiana. Murdix is averaging 9.8 points but has hit double figures in six consecutive contests while Jackson, who also had six boards and five assists, was 5-for-8 from the field against the Lions for his second double-digit effort in 11 outings.

Isaac Mushila leads the Islanders with an average of 13.5 points and registered his 13th double-double of the season against Nicholls in the Southland tournament semifinals with 12 points and 10 rebounds. The junior forward was limited to eight points by Southeastern Louisiana but finished with 12 boards and tops the squad with 9.5 per game. Junior guard Trevian Tennyson is scoring 11.8 points per contest for Texas A&M-CC, which is 14-4 all-time against SWAC opponents.

How to make Texas A&M-CC vs. Texas Southern picks

For Texas A&M-CC vs. Texas Southern, Hartstein is leaning under on the point total, but he also says a critical X-factor makes one side of the spread a must-back. He's only sharing what it is, and which side of the Texas Southern vs. Texas A&M-CC spread to back, at SportsLine.

Who wins Texas Southern vs. Texas A&M-CC? And which side of the spread is a must-back? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the Texas A&M-CC vs. Texas Southern spread you need to jump on, all from the expert who's crushed his college basketball picks.