First 4 Wednesday Betting Picks for Mount St. Mary’s vs. American and Xavier vs. Texas | Deadspin.com

The First 4 continues Wednesday with a pair of intriguing video games, one that includes Mount St. Mary’s taking over American College and the opposite Xavier vs. Texas. There was some line motion for each video games since sportsbooks posted the opening odds.

However that doesn’t imply you need to keep away from them. Understanding how the general public is betting might help you resolve what you wish to do. To that finish, let’s test these video games out (odds by way of DraftKings).

First 4: Mount St. Mary’s (+120) vs. American College (-2.5)

The third sport of this 12 months’s NCAA Division I Males’s Basketball Championship will get underway at this time at 6:40 p.m. Japanese, with the Mount St. Mary’s Mountaineers (22-12) dealing with off in opposition to the American College Eagles (22-12). To the winner go the spoils — a date with Duke within the first spherical.

The Mountaineers earned their spot within the First 4 because of a stifling protection that held their match opponents to not more than 58 factors (they allowed 69.8 factors per sport through the common season). Nevertheless, the margin of victory in these video games was solely 4, two and 14 factors.

Protection led the way in which for the Eagles as properly. Their convention opponents had been held to 69, 62 and 52 factors — numbers considerably according to their common season common of 67.3 factors allowed per sport. They had been fairly constant on offense, too, scoring 71, 72 and 74 factors.

Our choose: American -2.5 (opened at -1.5)

Had I caught this sport when the road opened, I’d be all around the below. However it opened at 133.5 for this defensive battle, and it’s now 129.5. It’s solely 4 factors, however that’s sufficient for doubt to creep into my thoughts.

As for my choose, Mount St. Mary’s protection was great throughout its convention tourney run, nevertheless it appeared nothing like that through the common season. American U’s protection, nonetheless, performed simply in addition to it had all 12 months throughout its match.

Consequently, I belief the Eagles to lock down the Mountaineers on this sport and canopy the unfold.

First 4: Xavier (-3.5) vs. Texas (+140)

The First 4 concludes with the Xavier Musketeers (22-11) taking over the Texas Longhorns (19-15). Recreation time is scheduled for 9:10 p.m. Japanese with protection on truTV. The winner will formally grow to be the No. 11 seed within the Midwest Area and face Illinois on Friday, March 21.

Xavier misplaced its final sport, the Massive East quarterfinal, to Marquette 89-87, however ended the common season on a seven-game successful streak. Texas comes into the match with an inconsistent end, dropping 4 of its final 5 within the common season.

Then the Longhorns beat Vanderbilt and Texas A&M within the SEC Event earlier than dropping to Tennessee within the semifinals, 83-72. Nevertheless, earlier than judging Texas too harshly, its schedule must be considered.

Texas went 5-8 in opposition to top-25 groups and 10-15 in opposition to Quad 1 and Quad 2 groups. Xavier was extra constant however went 2-5 in opposition to top-25 groups and September 11 in opposition to Quad 1 and Quad 2 groups.

Our choose: Texas ML

I used to be comfy taking the Texas moneyline when it opened at -102, however now that you could find it at +140, this wager completely has worth. Xavier might look higher on paper, however Texas would in all probability have been even higher had it performed an analogous schedule.

If taking the Longhorns to win outright makes you nervous, the unfold has gone from the place it opened at +1 to +3.5.