Penn State vs Texas A&M NCAA Tournament Round 1: How to watch, odds and predictions for March Madness

This would be one heck of a college football bowl game, but college football fans will have to settle for the basketball version of Texas A&M vs Penn State in the first round of the 2023 NCAA Tournament.

Both teams head into this matchup coming off losses in their conference tournament final games against the nation’s two best teams (No. 1 Purdue and No. 2 Alabama), but that’ll play no role in halting their momentum.

Penn State’s Jalen Pickett (17.9 PPG, 7.3 RPG, 6.7 APG) leads the way for the Nittany Lions and just dropped 28 against Indiana to get his squad to the Big Ten Tournament Final. Meanwhile, Wade Taylor IV (16.5 PPG, 2.7 RPG, 4.0 APG) scored 25 against Vanderbilt to get the Aggies into the SEC Final vs the Crimson Tide.

Both will be out for blood as they look to rebound after poor performances the following day.

How to watch Penn State vs Texas A&M in the NCAA Tournament Round 1

Date: Thursday, March 16
Time: 6:55 pm ET
Channel: TBS
Streaming: NCAA March Madness Live, fuboTV
Announcers: Brian Anderson, Jim Jackson, Allie LaForce

Penn State vs Texas A&M NCAA Tournament Round 1 odds

According to DraftKings Sportsbook, Texas A&M is a -3 favorite (-110) and -155 (bet $155 to win $100) on the moneyline. Penn State is +3 (-110) and +135 on the moneyline (bet $100 to win $135). The over/under checks in at 134.5 and either bet could be had for -110 odds. Check the sportsbook for prop bets as well.

Penn State vs Texas A&M NCAA Tournament Round 1 prediction

Here’s a quick breakdown of the matchup that can tell a good portion of the story:

• A&M is 15th in the BPI rankings vs 49th for Penn State
• A&M finished 15-3 in the SEC while Penn State was 10-10 in the Big Ten
• A&M finished 4-1 vs Top-25 teams while Penn State went 3-3 (two of the Nittany Lions’ Top-25 wins were against teams no longer ranked in the Top- 25 and all three of the losses were to Purdue)

A&M is the better and more battled-tested team. Though Pickett represents a threat to go off at any given moment, Penn State’s defense allowed more points per game in a much worse offensive conference than the Aggies.

Texas A&M 71, Penn State 65