The No. 15 seed Princeton Tigers (22-8) face the No. 7 seed Missouri Tigers (25-9) in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. Action tips off at 6:10 p.m. ET. Below we continue our March Madness odds series with a Princeton-Missouri prediction, pick, and how to watch.
Princeton is fresh off a massive 59-55 upset over No. 2 seed Arizona. Princeton covered 57% of their games while 57% went over the projected point total. Missouri handled No. 10 seed Utah State in the first round, 76-65. Mizzou covered 52% of their games while 53% went under.
Here are the Princeton-Missouri March Madness odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
March Madness Odds: Princeton-Missouri Odds
Princeton: +6.5 (-110)
Missouri: -6.5 (-110)
Over: 149.5 (-110)
Under: 149.5 (-110)
How To Watch Princeton vs. Missouri
TV: TNT
Stream: March Madness Live
Time: 6:10 ET/ 3:10 PT
*Watch college basketball LIVE with fuboTV (click for a free trial)*
Why Princeton Could Cover The Spread
Princeton came away with arguably their biggest win in program history on Thursday as they shocked the world and upset Arizona. The Tigers' defense was on full display in the win as they held Arizona to just 24 second-half points. They surprisingly battled on the glass as well, out-rebounding the Wildcats 38-37. Perhaps most impressive was their ability to limit mistakes as they recorded just 11 turnovers. They'll need to continue taking care of the ball tonight as Missouri forces a ton of turnovers. Where Princeton will have an advantage tonight is on the glass. The Tigers average the 20th-most rebounds per game – an area that Missouri can really struggle at times.
The Tigers are led by senior forward Toast Evbuomwan. The 6'8″ senior is an all-around force who averages 15 PPG, 6.2 RPG, and 4.8 APG. While he isn't much of an outside shooter, his ability to create shots for both himself and his teammates is a huge factor in whether or not they cover tonight. He showed up big time in their win over Arizona, scoring 15 points, pulling down seven rebounds, and dishing out four assists. Evbuomwan had scored 20+ in each of his prior two matches and could again eclipse that mark against Missouri considering how suspect their defense can be.
The X-factor for Princeton is senior Ryan Langborg. The 6'4″ guard ranks second on the team with 12 PPG and serves as their primary three-point threat. For the season, Langborg averages a hair under two three-pointers per game while shooting 32% from three. With nearly 150 career threes, Langborg has the track record to light it up from distance. While he did struggle in their win over Arizona, that may actually support Princeton covering tonight as the career-36% shooter should regress positively tonight and shoot better than the 0-6 performance he put up against Arizona.
*Made shots: Celebrate Princeton's epic upset over Arizona with this shirt from BreakingT*
Why Missouri Could Cover The Spread
Missouri is one of the most dangerous teams in the country and could easily cover a moderate spread thanks to their elite offense. The Tigers average 79.4 PPG – the 19th-most in the country. They are even better according to the advanced metrics considering their offense ranks seventh in adjusted offensive efficiency. The Tigers do an excellent job moving the ball and making extra passes with 16.1 APG – 18th nationally. Those extra passes lead to a ton of open threes for their plethora of shooters. Missouri averages 9.4 threes per game – the 19th-most in the country. While their defense can be suspect at times, the Tigers excel at forcing turnovers. They average the second-most steals per game in the country and could take advantage of a shake Princeton backcourt.
Missouri is led by a pair of strong guards via Kobe Brown and D'Moi Hodge. Brown leads the tea with 15.9 PPG while also chipping in 6.3 RPG and 2.5 APG. The 6'8″ senior is surprisingly agile despite his 250-pound frame and can get to the basket or step back from three at will. He output one of the best games of his season in their first-round win over Utah State. Against the Aggies, Brown scored 19 points and pulled down eight rebounds. While those are not gaudy numbers by any means, he went 7/8 overall and 3/4 from three – demonstrating his elite efficiency.
Fellow senior D'Moi Hodge is right there with Brown as he averages 15.1 PPG and 3.8 RPG. The Cleveland State transfer is an elite outside shooter who averages nearly three triples per game while shooting 41% from beyond the arc. Hodge was the star of the show in their first-round win over Utah State thanks to scoring 23 points on an efficient 8/14 shooting. With 20+ points in four of his last five games, look for the senior to hunt his shots early and often against the undersized Princeton Tigers.
*M-I-Z-Z-O-U: Celebrate Missouri's first NCAA Tournament win since 2010 with this shirt from BreakingT*
Final Princeton-Missouri Prediction & Pick
Princeton already had their cinderella moment thanks to taking down No. 2 seed Arizona. The Tigers played well but now that the surprise factor has worn off I expect Missouri to make quick work of them thanks to their truly elite offense.
Final Princeton-Missouri Prediction & Pick: Missouri -6.5 (-110)
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