NCAA Basketball: 10 most compelling 1st round 2023 NCAA Tournament matchups

Missouri (7) vs. Utah State (10)

You like offense, right? I like offense. Everybody likes offense. Do yourself a favor then, and tune in when Missouri and Utah State clash on Thursday afternoon. Missouri has the highest adjusted offensive rating in the SEC according to KenPom, even above Alabama and Kentucky, and yet they still rank below Utah State.

The Aggies are fourth in the country in effective field goal percentage, in large part due to their outstanding three-point shooting. Percentage-wise, they rank fifth in the country at 39.3%, and leading scorer Steven Ashworth drains a ridiculous 44.3%.

Utah State is efficient in everything they do. Their top three scorers are all over 80% from the free throw line, making them particularly adept at closing out games. The team as a whole ranks tenth in assist rate in the country. They shoot 48% as a team.

Missouri can light it up, too. They rank just behind Utah State in many offensive categories, and that’s against the tougher defenses of the SEC. They shoot 47.3% from the field and 36.1% from three. The Tigers’ assist rate is also stellar, 17th in the nation. Kobe Brown scores 15.8 points in under 30 minutes per game, besting even Ashworth at 44.7% from three.

This game could come down to the unique areas of strength for each team. Cleveland State transfer D’Moi Hodge pilots a Mizzou team that leads the country in turnover margin, while Utah State is quite good at cleaning the offensive glass. Whichever team can impose this unique strength on the other will survive and advance to a probable second-round match against Arizona.