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The Wagner Seahawks (16-15) battle the Howard Bison (18-16) in the First Four of the NCAA Tournament Tuesday from UD Arena. Tip is set for 6:40 p.m. ET (truTV). Below, we analyze FanDuel Sportsbook’s lines around the Wagner vs. Howard odds, and make our expert college basketball picks, predictions and best bets.
Wagner won the Northeast Tournament to earn the automatic bid; however, it finished 6th in the NEC during the regular season, ending with a 7-9 conference record. Wagner covered as an underdog in each Northeast Tournament game, ending the season with a 14-15 against the spread (ATS) record, including the conference tournament. The Seahawks have still failed to cover 5 of their last 9 games.
Howard won the MEAC, finishing 3rd in the regular season with a 9-5 conference record. The Bison went 2-1 ATS in the MEAC Tournament and finished the season with a 12-19-1 ATS record. They failed to cover in 6 of their last 9 games. G Bryce Harris leads the team in scoring, averaging 16.3 points per game during the regular season.
– Rankings courtesy of the USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll.
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Wagner vs. Howard odds
Provided by FanDuel Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 9:25 a.m. ET.
- Moneyline (ML): Wagner +128 (bet $100 to win $128) | Howard -154 (bet $154 to win $100)
- Against the spread (ATS): Wagner +2.5 (-102) | Howard -2.5 (-120)
- Over/Under (O/U): 128.5 (O: -115 | U: -105)
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Wagner vs. Howard picks and predictions
Prediction
Howard 64, Wagner 59
Moneyline
PASS.
Wagner struggled during the regular season yet picked up steam during its conference tournament. Expect battling an unfamiliar foe to bring back those struggles, and avoid taking the underdog here.
Against the spread
BET HOWARD -2.5 (-120).
Simply put, Wagner is too inefficient to keep pace with Howard. Wagner’s top 6 offensive weapons all shot under 40% from the field. Only 1 player consistently averages double figures. Howard’s Harris is shooting 56.3% from the field, and the Bison have 4 of its last 5 options shooting at least 41% from the field. That efficiency should lead the way.
To start the season, many games of which were against non-conference opponents, Wagner was 3-6 ATS. Howard had covers against Cincinnati, Bryant and Georgia Tech in the 1st month of the season. Expect the Bison to be able to win and cover in this First Four matchup.
Back HOWARD -2.5 (-120).
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Over/Under
LEAN UNDER 128.5 (-105).
Wagner does not want to play fast, and the score should represent that. It has inefficient scorers and has not scored over 66 points in 5 games since Feb. 25. Wagner has allowed 57 or fewer in 4 straight games as well.
Howard has gone Under in 2 of its last 4 and 3 of its last 6. It has allowed 67 or fewer in 4 of its last 6 games. Expect a low-scoring battle and take UNDER 128.5 (-105).
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