[gambcom-standard rankid=”3011″ ]
The Grambling Tigers (20-14) and Montana State Bobcats (17-17) play for the 16th seed in the Midwest Region when they meet in an NCAA Tournament First Four game Wednesday. Tip-off from UD Arena in Dayton is scheduled for 6:40 p.m. ET (truTV). Below, we analyze BetMGM Sportsbook’s lines around the Grambling vs. Montana State odds, and make our expert college basketball picks, predictions and best bets.
Grambling won the SWAC Tournament with a convincing 75-66 victory against Texas Southern in the final Saturday. Grambling covered all 3 games en route to the SWAC title, and it is 9-1 straight up (SU) across the past 10 games, with only an OT loss at Alabama State in the regular-season finale March 9 as the only setback. Grambling is 7-3 against the spread (ATS) in the past 10 games.
Montana State won the Big Sky Tournament as the No. 5 seed, topping Weber State, Sacramento State and rival Montana for the automatic bid. The Bobcats are 5-1 ATS in the past 6 games while cashing the Over in 4 of the previous 5 contests.
– Rankings courtesy of the USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll.
THE BRACKETS ARE BACK! The USA TODAY Sports Bracket Challenge is back! $1 MILLION grand prize for a perfect bracket, $25,000 prize for top bracket. Free to enter, 21+. Terms apply, void where prohibited by law. See Official Rules. Play now!
Grambling vs. Montana State odds
Provided by BetMGM Sportsbook’s; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated Tuesday at 4:15 p.m. ET.
- Moneyline (ML): Grambling +145 (bet $100 to win $145) | Montana State -175 (bet $175 to win $100)
- Against the spread (ATS): Grambling +3.5 (-110) | Montana State -3.5 (-110)
- Over/Under (O/U): 134.5 (O: -115 | U: -105)
Can you survive? USA TODAY Sports’ Men and Women’s Basketball Tournament Survivor Pools are here with a $2,500 prize for each contest! Free to enter, 21+. Terms apply, void where prohibited by law. See Official Rules. Play now!
[gambcom-standard rankid=”3012″ ]
Grambling vs. Montana State and predictions
Prediction
Montana State 71, Grambling 66
Moneyline
Montana State (-175) will cost you nearly 2 times your potential return, and it is too expensive as a standalone wager in this First Four battle. However, if you were to include the Bobcats as part of a multi-team parlay, it’s not terribly priced out of line.
AVOID as a singular wager.
Against the spread
MONTANA STATE -3.5 (-110) is worth playing lightly in Dayton. The Bobcats have covered 5 of the past 6 games, and they caught fire shooting against Montana in the 2nd half of the Big Sky title game.
Grambling +3.5 (-110) won’t be satisfied just to get to the First Four, but it has already made history just by getting to Dayton. It was 1 of just 2 SWAC teams which hadn’t been to the NCAA Tournament until qualifying this season.
The Tigers are a tempting play, as they’re 7-1 ATS in the past 8 tries as underdogs, but the Bobcats streak in with a little more confidence and better 3-point shooting, which will be key.
Play our free daily Pick’em Challenge and win! Play now!
Over/Under
OVER 134.5 (-115) is the lean, but go with a half-unit play at most. We’ll likely get some nerves, as this is the 1st game to tip off Wednesday night. It generally takes teams a little while to get a lay of the land at UD Arena before the shots start falling.
The Over has a slight 3-2 advantage in the past 5 games for Grambling, while the total went high in all 3 Big Sky tourney games for Montana State while cashing at a 4-1 clip in the past 5 outings.
[gambcom-standard rankid=”5″ ]
For more sports betting picks and tips, check out SportsbookWire.com and BetFTW.
Follow Kevin J. Erickson on Twitter/X. Follow SportsbookWire on Twitter/X and like us on Facebook.
Stream select live college basketball games and full replays: Get ESPN+
College sports coverage from USA TODAY Sports Media Group:
Alabama / Arkansas / Auburn / Clemson / Colorado / Florida / Georgia / Iowa / LSU / Michigan / Michigan State / Nebraska / North Carolina / Notre Dame / Ohio State / Oklahoma / Oregon / Penn State / Rutgers / Tennessee / Texas / Texas A&M / USC / Wisconsin /
College Sports Wire: Men’s hoops / Women’s hoops / High School
[lawrence-newsletter]
[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=1667]