Texas A&M-CC vs. Texas Southern Odds, Picks, and Predictions (3/15/22)

16th Texas A&M-CC (23-11) takes on 16th Texas Southern (18-12) in one of the play-in games for the NCAA Tournament. The winner will advance into the tournament and play 1st seed Kansas in the Round of 64. Texas A&M-CC was only 7-7 in conference play, but they won the Southland Conference tournament by defeating Houston Baptist University, Nicholls State, and Southeastern Louisiana University. The only time Texas A&M-CC has made the NCAA Tournament was in 2007, where they lost to 2nd seed Wisconsin 76-63 in the First Round. 

Texas Southern started the season 0-7, but they bounced back in a big way the rest of the season. Texas Southern was 13-5 in conference play, and they beat Alcorn State 87-62 to win the Southwestern Athletic Conference. Their second game of the season was a relatively close 67-58 loss to the current 5th seed Saint Mary’s. Texas Southern made the tournament last year, losing to 1st seed Michigan 82-66 in the first round. They will look to make it back-to-back appearances by defeating Texas A&M-CC. 

Texas A&M-CC vs. Texas Southern Betting Odds

Texas A&M-CC Betting Odds

They are a solid team both offensively and defensively. The team has an offensive shooting split of 44.5/33.5/74.4 and are +2.4 in turnovers per game. Texas A&M-CC has two players scoring double digits – Isaac Mushila and Trevian Tennyson. Mushila is a force around the rim, averaging 13.5 PPG and 9.5 RPG on 53.5 FG%. Outside of the paint, he is a non-shooter who struggles to make an impact. Mushila is a lethal offensive rebounder who loves to post up and cut. Trevian Tennyson is the opposite – a good perimeter shooter (36.6 3PT%) who doesn’t perform well around the basket. He can score off the dribble or use screens and hand offs to break free of his defender for a catch and shoot three. 

Aside from Mushila and Tennyson, Texas A&M-CC has Terrion Murdix and Simeon Fryer to make an offensive impact. Murdix is a solid ball handler who can shoot off the dribble or on catch and shoot jump shots. He leads the team in facilitating at 3.79 APG. Fryer is a dangerous shooter (37 3PT%) who excels off of screens. He doesn’t venture into the paint often and does not take many mid range shots. Because defenders play him tight on the three point line, Fryer cuts to the rim for easy backdoor layups. This tactic keeps the defender honest and gives him more space to launch from deep.

Texas Southern Betting Odds

Texas Southern dominates through their defense because their offense is poor in efficiency and execution. They have 8 players scoring 6+ PPG, but no player is at 10+ PPG. As a team, Texas Southern has a rough 43.7/31.7/67.1 shooting split. Leading scorer John Walker III is the best offensive player. He scores 9.9 PPG on an excellent 47.0/41.0/71.6 shooting split. He is not a facilitator – 1.07 APG – but he racks up FTA. Walker III rarely takes jump shots off the dribble; he prefers to take spot up shots. Because he is 6’9”, defenders struggle to bother his shot, especially off of screens. Bryson Etienne has taken the most shots on the team (242 FGA), but he is shooting a dreadful 34.3 FG%. He is best in transition where he can produce easier baskets. Defensively, he is a solid defender against the pick and roll who can stick to them on the perimeter. 

Joirdon Nicholas is an opportunistic scorer who uses offensive rebounds and cuts to make an impact. He does not spread the floor at all and doesn’t take perimeter jump shots. Nicholas is a devastating defensive force who clamps perimeter shooters. At 6’9” he can guard any area of the floor and disrupt offensive schemes. AJ Lawson is a poor outside shooter, but he has had some success around the rim. His value comes on the defensive end, where he shuts down shooters looking to get space. At 6’5”, he can hold his own in the paint until help comes. The superb Texas Southern defense is largely built on Nicholas and Lawson. 

Texas A&M-CC vs. Texas Southern Picks & Prediction

I like Texas Southern to win this game because of their defense, experience, and bench. Texas A&M-CC will struggle to score here against these long, versatile defenders. Nicholas and Lawson will disrupt this Texas A&M-CC offense and force turnovers. Texas Southern was in the tournament last year, and they played Saint Mary’s earlier in the year. I think they are better prepared for the pressure in this game. Texas Southern also brings leading scorer John Walker III off the bench, which allows them to give a boost to their second unit. The game will not be a high scoring one, and I like Walker III to be the player of the game. 

March Madness Bracket