jaelin-llewellyn-princeton.jpg
USATSI

The seventh-seeded Missouri Tigers look to avoid being another surprise victim when they meet the No. 15 seed Princeton Tigers on Saturday in a second-round matchup in the South Region of the 2023 NCAA Tournament. Missouri posted a 76-65 victory against Utah State in the first round and hopes to keep rolling against a Princeton team that pulled off a stunning 59-55 win versus Arizona in its opener on Thursday. The triumph was Princeton's first in the NCAA Tournament since it defeated UNLV in 1998.

Tipoff at the Golden 1 Center in Sacramento, Cal. is set for 6:10 p.m. ET. Missouri is a 6.5-point favorite in the latest Missouri vs. Princeton odds, while the over/under for total points scored is 146. Before making any Princeton vs. Missouri picks, be sure to check out the college basketball predictions and betting advice from SportsLine's Matt Severance

Severance is a well-connected writer and handicapper who has worked in the industry since 2005. He is SportsLine's top college basketball expert and is on a sizzling 159-99-1 (+2157) roll on his picks. Anyone following him is way up.

Now, he has set his sights on Missouri vs. Princeton and revealed his coveted picks and predictions for the NCAA Tournament 2023. You can head to SportsLine to see the picks. Here are several college basketball odds and trends for Princeton vs. Missouri:

  • Missouri vs. Princeton spread: Missouri -6.5
  • Missouri vs. Princeton over/under: 146 points
  • Missouri vs. Princeton money line: Missouri -275, Princeton +220
  • MIZZ: Missouri is 1-6 against the spread in its last seven NCAA Tournament games
  • PRI: Princeton is 5-0 ATS in its last five overall contests
  • Missouri vs. Princeton picks: See picks at SportsLine

Why Missouri can cover

Missouri bounced back nicely from its loss to Alabama in the semifinals of the SEC Tournament as it posted its first victory during March Madness since upsetting Clemson in 2010. The club used a 13-2 run in the second half to take a 62-53 lead and never look back. Kobe Brown scored 10 points during the spurt, nailing a trio of 3-pointers and a free throw to finish with 19 points on 7-of-8 shooting.

Brown, who averages a team-best 15.9 points, also pulled down a game-high eight rebounds while fellow senior guard D'Moi Hodge led Missouri with 23 points. Hodge recorded 15 of his points in the second half, when he sank three of his five baskets from beyond the arc. Junior forward Noah Carter also came up with a strong performance against the Aggies as he registered 10 points, six rebounds and a game-high five assists.

Why Princeton can cover 

Princeton waited even longer than Missouri to post a victory in the Tournament as its triumph over Arizona was its first since it defeated UNLV 69-57 in 1998. Tosan Evbuomwan was the only player to reach double figures against the Wildcats as he was 7-of-15 from the field en route to 15 points. The senior forward, who leads Princeton this season with an average of 15 points, also grabbed seven rebounds and dished out a game-high four assists.

Sophomore guard Blake Peters finished with nine points as he came off the bench to go 3-for-5 from beyond the arc. Princeton was strong down the stretch on Thursday as it finished with a 9-0 run after trailing Arizona 55-50 with 4:45 remaining. Senior guard Ryan Langborg, who is second on the team with an average of 12 points, made the second of his back-to-back layups with 2:03 to play to put Princeton ahead for good.

How to make Princeton vs. Missouri picks

Severance has analyzed this matchup and while we can tell you he's leaning Under the point total, he has discovered a critical X-factor that has him jumping all over one side of the spread. He's only sharing what it is, and which side to back, at SportsLine.

Who wins Missouri vs. Princeton on Saturday? And which critical X-factor makes one side of the spread a must-back? Visit SportsLine now to see Severance's Princeton vs. Missouri picks, all from the expert who is crushing college basketball, and find out.