Missouri vs Princeton Predictions, Odds, & Spread – Mizzou Favored by 6.5

• Missouri are 4.5-point favorites over the Princeton Tigers in the NCAA Tournament on Saturday, March 18
• The winner of Mizzou vs Princeton advances to the Sweet 16
• Below, see the Missouri vs Princeton odds and picks for Saturday evening

In an unlikely second-round matchup, the seventh-seeded Missouri Tigers (25-9, 17-16-1 ATS) face the fifteenth-seeded Princeton Tigers (22-8, 18-12 ATS) on Saturday, March 18, in Sacramento. A date in the Sweet 16 awaits the winner.

Oddsmakers opened bullish on Missouri early, setting the spread around 6.5 points, depending on the site.

Missouri vs Princeton Odds

Princeton still remains a pipe dream to advance further in the March Madness bracket. These Tigers (+80000) are down a ways in the March Madness odds, while the Missouri Tigers stand at +13000.

Tip-off for this contest is set for 6:10 pm ET on Saturday March 18 at the Golden 1 Arena from Sacramento, California. The game is will be on TNT. Missouri currently is a -300 favorite to advance past Princeton.

While sports betting is currently legal in New Jersey (the state Princeton calls home), Missouri sports betting apps are not currently legal but are expected to launch sometime before the start of next year’s college basketball season.

Odds as of March 17 at FanDuel. Unlock a FanDuel Sportsbook promo or download one of the other March Madness betting apps.

Missouri vs Princeton Betting Trends

Missouri is interesting because the seventh seed was an easy trend as far as getting picked off in the opening round. Utah State became a favorite in their game of around 1.5 points.

Instead, Missouri won by double-digits and sent the Aggies home packing. Behind ten three-pointers made, the Tigers took advantage some cold Aggies’ shooting (16.7%) from the perimeter to advance to the second round.

Now, the total of 149.5 points, the over/under is set a little high. However, it move around a little. Considering Missouri scored nearly 80 points a game and Princeton averaged 76.5, slow is not in Missouri’s vocabulary.

Both teams normally play at a faster pace. Missouri usually allows 74.6 points a game. Meanwhile, Princeton had allowed between 65 and 70 points in their three previous games before Arizona.  Overall, when it comes to defensive rating, Princeton ranks 78th and Missouri is 272nd. Pace dictates elevated scoring.

Princeton Stuns the College Basketball World

Princeton came into the tournament already pulling off back-to-back wins over Pennsylvania and Yale. Those were two arguably better teams in the Ivy League. However, those Tigers proved they were capable of springing a mild upset. Midway through the second half, Princeton was down 49-39 to Arizona. What happened next was a stunning reversal of fortune and Princeton took advantage.

BRACKET BUSTED!

The Tigers are moving on to the second round at #MarchMadness after a 59-55 win over No. 2 seed Arizona! #MakeShots 🐯🏀 pic.twitter.com/rT3lJyZ4fS

— Princeton Men’s Basketball (@PrincetonMBB) March 17, 2023

Princeton scored 20 of the final 26 points against an Arizona team that ranked fifth in scoring at 82.7 points per game. The Tigers held Arizona to only 57 field-goal attempts and 3-for-16 shooting from three-point range. The last time Arizona scored fewer than 60 points was almost two months ago. Tosan Evbuomwan led all Princeton scorers with 15 points, but Blake Peters delivered three daggers from the perimeter to pace the Ivy League school. Of course, the question is going to be. Can Princeton pull off another upset?

Missouri Turned Their Own Tables Thursday

Missouri carries no candidates in the Wooden Award odds, but this Tigers team is sure fun to watch. During the SEC season, Missouri gave as good as it got. The Tigers averaged 79.5 points per game but yielded almost 75 a contest. It was a reason why Utah State was favored by around 1.5 points as the tenth seed. The Aggies believed to be the team which could slow down Missouri. Now, that did not happen as the Tigers won 76-65.

The Missouri Tigers will play the Princeton Tigers for a berth to the Sweet 16 in Louisville, KY.

Oh my god this season.

— Kris (@mizkris18) March 16, 2023

Honestly, this is a golden opportunity for Missouri to get to the Sweet 16. Dennis Gates and Missouri know Princeton will not be ask easy out. When the Tigers play the Tigers, expect the unexpected. Also, can Missouri and Princeton both hold teams under 25% from three-point range?

It is possible, but Missouri carries a considerable advantage with their inside-outside game. Kobe Brown scored 19 points and was able to step outside to nail three shots from beyond the arc. D’Moi Hodge hit five triples and led all scorers with 23 points. Princeton may have trouble stopping Missouri’s pace.

Missouri vs Princeton Prediction

Missouri and Princeton clamped down defensively when they had to. For Princeton, it was a ten minute stretch of amazing defense and a few fortunate bounces. Missouri ran into a team that went ice cold from three-point range.

Saturday evening expects to be quite surreal. Can Princeton do it again?  It is hard to doubt a team from New Jersey. After all, there was St. Peter’s last year.

Pick: Princeton +6.5 (-120)

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