The 8-seed Texas Southern Tigers (13-20) face the 2-seed Grambling State Tigers (24-8) Saturday in the Southwest Athletic Conference (SWAC) Championship Game, with an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament on the line. Tip from Bartwon Arena is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. ET (ESPNU). Below, we analyze Tipico Sportsbook’s lines around the Texas Southern vs. Grambling State odds, and make our expert college basketball picks, predictions and bets.
Texas Southern may be the 8-seed but it has tapped into its postseason experience. It topped 1-seed Alcorn State 66-62 as a 2-point underdog in the 1st round Tuesday and dropped Alabama A&M in the semifinals by a 74-61 count as a 3-point favorite Friday. The Under cashed in both games, helped along by TSU allowing just 61.5 points per game.
Grambling State is back in the SWAC title game for the first time since 2011, and it is looking for its first-ever trip to the NCAA Tournament. The Tigers belted Bethune Cookman 87-72 in the opening round Wednesday and eased by Jackson State 78-69 in a tough matchup Friday. The Tigers have covered 7 straight games and the Over is 2-0 in this tourney.
Grambling won 65-46 against Texas Southern on Feb. 11, easily cashing as a 5.5-point home favorite as the Under (135) cashed. Grambling also picked up an 85-72 victory as a 2.5-point road underdog on Jan. 4 as the Over (131.5) connected.
Check out: 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!
[betwidget_tipico]
[betwidget_gambbetmgmsb]
[betwidget_gambfanduelsb]
Texas Southern vs. Grambling State odds
Provided by Tipico Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 7:06 a.m. ET.
- Moneyline (ML): Texas Southern +225 (bet $100 to win $225) | Grambling State -280 (bet $280 to win $100)
- Against the spread (ATS): Texas Southern +6.5 (-110) | Grambling State -6.5 (-110)
- Over/Under (O/U): 132.5 (O: -110 | U: -110)
Can you survive? USA TODAY Sports’ Men and Women’s Basketball Tournament Survivor Pools are here with a $5,000 prize for each contest! Free to enter, 21+. Terms apply, void where prohibited by law. See Official Rules. Play now!
Texas Southern vs. Grambling State picks and predictions
Prediction
Grambling State 69, Texas Southern 61
Moneyline
Grambling State (-290) will cost you nearly 3 times your potential return. That’s an expensive play for any standalone wager, regardless of if it’s a championship game. It’s a bad long-term strategy to bet such heavy favorites.
PASS.
Stream select live college basketball games and full replays: Get ESPN+
Against the spread
GRAMBLING STATE -6.5 (-110) laying the points is the way to go, although it wouldn’t be surprising to see Texas Southern hang around and put a scare into the Louisiana-based Tigers.
Texas Southern is the defending SWAC Tournament champ and it isn’t likely to go quietly into the night, but it’s Grambling’s time to shine, and finally break through and go dancing for the first time in school history.
Over/Under
UNDER 132.5 (-110) is worth playing lightly, but roll with a half-unit play at most.
It’s all about the Under for Texas Southern, going 4-1 in the past 5 games following a straight-up win and 7-2 in its last 9 after a cover. The Under is 4-1 in the past 5 neutral-site games for TSU, too.
The Under has connected in 7 of Grambling’s last 9 neutral-site games, but be careful as the total has gone high in its first 2 tourney games.
Play our free daily Pick’em Challenge and win! Play now!
For sports betting picks and tips, check out SportsbookWire.com and BetFTW. Plus, try out the USA TODAY Parlay Calculator and please gamble responsibly.
Follow Kevin J. Erickson on Twitter. Follow SportsbookWire on Twitter and like us on Facebook.
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 Football News
[lawrence-newsletter]
[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=1667]
