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The 10th-seeded Penn State Nittany Lions (22-13) battle the 7-seed Texas A&M Aggies (25-9) on Thursday in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. Tip from Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines, Iowa, is scheduled for 9:55 p.m. ET (TBS). Below, we analyze Tipico Sportsbook’s lines around the Penn State vs. Texas A&M odds, and make our expert college basketball picks, predictions and bets.
Penn State fell 67-65 to Purdue on Sunday in the Big Ten Tournament title game, but covered as a 7.5-point underdog. The loss snapped a 5-game winning streak. In its last 10 games, Penn State is 8-2 and 7-2-1 against the spread (ATS). The Nittany Lions are 20-13-2 ATS this season.
Texas A&M was destroyed 82-63 by Alabama on Sunday in the SEC Tournament final, failing to cover as a 5-point underdog. The loss snapped a 4-game winning streak. The Aggies are 8-2 in their last 10 games and 8-2 ATS in that same span. This season, they are 23-11 ATS.
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Penn State vs. Texas A&M odds
Provided by Tipico Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 12:31 a.m. ET.
- Moneyline (ML): Penn State +125 (bet $100 to win $125) | Texas A&M -145 (bet $145 to win $100)
- Against the spread (ATS): Penn State +2.5 (-108) | Texas A&M -2.5 (-112)
- Over/Under (O/U): 134.5 (O: -110 | U: -110)
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Penn State vs. Texas A&M picks and predictions
Prediction
Penn State 70, Texas A&M 69
Moneyline
BET PENN STATE +125.
The Nittany Lions are hot after a solid Big Ten Tournament performance, knocking off Illinois, Northwestern, and Indiana and coming within 1 possession of beating 1-seed Purdue. In each of the games, they were the underdog and managed to stick around until the end.
Penn State is 5-3 in neutral site games this season and an impressive 7-1 ATS in those games. They will have their work cut out for them against the Aggies, but they rank 13th in the nation in 3-point percentage (38.52%) so a few outside shots can keep them hanging around just long enough to get the upset.
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Against the spread
PASS.
The moneyline is a more profitable play on Penn State in this matchup.
Over/Under
LEAN OVER 134.5 (-110).
As it stands, 134.5 would be the 3rd-lowest closing line in the Aggies’ last 10 games and in that span, the Under is 7-3. The Under is 4-1 in their last 5 games overall and 6-1 in their last 7 games following an outright loss.
Defense is each teams strong point which will put points at a premium.
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