The NCAA Tournament has been only 64 teams for years, but that was somehow not enough. Now, there are 68 teams. The First Four round includes two games of at-large bids along with two games with automatic qualifiers.
Last year, UCLA went from the First Four to the Final Four. Even though these games are against some of the worst teams in the NCAA Tournament, plenty of First Four teams have deep runs after a win. However, they have to get past this stage if they want to be truly dancing.
One of the listed matchups this year is between the Indiana Hoosiers and Wyoming Cowboys. Wyoming played well in the Mountain West, but they lacked stiff competition outside of the conference. They don’t have a resume strong enough to contend, but Wyoming’s record was too solid to keep them out.
They’ll face off against Indiana in the first round. The winner gets the pleasure of playing Saint Mary’s in the next round. Who will make it out of this game? Indiana is favored by 3.5 points at the NCAAB odds board. Can they cover the spread?
Here are the keys for each team and a prediction for this game.
Tuesday, March 15, 2022 – 09:10 PM EDT at UD Arena
Indiana needs to win inside if they want to make it to the next round. They are one of the worst perimeter offense teams in the country, and now is not the time to test their luck. This will be a challenge against Wyoming’s size, but the Hoosiers need to rely on what got them to this point.
Basketball is inherently a game of runs, but it matters more in the NCAA Tournament. In this game, Indiana needs to rely on sound defense to keep the game steady. If their defense has lapses for a few plays, they could lose all the momentum in this game.
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This is not a team made to go on offensive runs, so they need a steady defense to carry them all game. Beyond that, they just need to keep the moment from getting to them. It sounds like a cliche, but too many teams fail as favorites because of the pressure of the moment. Wyoming is playing with momentum and house money, so Indiana needs a strong start to keep this season going.
Wyoming needs Graham Ike to take over this NCAAB game. He is the type of player who could make a name for himself in the NCAA Tournament. He leads the team in points and rebounds, and he has enough size to be a problem in most games.
Look for Wyoming to feature Ike on both ends of the floor. He can clear the glass with his blocks and rebounds, but he can also score at will in the paint. He’ll need to be the best player on the court if Wyoming wants to advance.
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Wyoming also needs to get Indiana into foul trouble. They’ve won the foul margin so far this season, but it will be a different level of competition against Indiana. The Hoosiers need to keep quality players on the bench for Wyoming to keep this game close.
Beyond that, this will come down to the fundamentals. You want postseason games to come down to who makes the biggest plays. Too often, it actually comes down to who makes the fewest mistakes. We’ll see if Wyoming can avoid the season-ending errors in this one.
Wyoming has more momentum, and I trust their players to make plays when this game gets close. They haven’t been tested, but that doesn’t mean that they can’t win. They have what it takes to cover the spread, and they might just win this game outright.
Indiana has a stronger resume, but they’ve been exposed in tough games. There is a way to beat them, and Wyoming has the size and strength to do it. It won’t be pretty, but Wyoming knows what they need to do to win.
I like the points in this game. For my college basketball pick, I’ll take Wyoming to cover in a close game between two deserving teams.
NCAAB Pick: Wyoming +4 (-105) with BetOnline (visit our BetOnline Review)
*The line and/or odds on picks in this article might have moved since the content was commissioned. For updated line movements, visit BMR’s free betting odds product.