NCAA Tournament 2023: 10 biggest storylines to watch for 1st day of games

2. Missouri vs Utah State may be the most entertaining game

If we were doing a watchability rankings for the NCAA Tournament 1st proud games, this one between the Tigers and Aggies would be among the best. Both programs are known for their offense this season, with Missouri putting up 79.6 ppg and Utah State at 78.6 ppg, both in the top 35 overall.

Three-point shooting is the strength of both teams, with both teams making an average of 9.4 a game. While each is fairly efficient in that regard, Utah State is supreme in that category, 5th nationally at 39% from deep. Steven Ashworth, who leads the team with 16.3 ppg, makes 44% on seven attempts a night. Missouri can match that with its best players, as leading scorer Kobe Brown (15.8 ppg), making 45% of his shots from deep, while D’Moi Hodge is at 40% at over seven attempts a game.

Both teams are okay defensively but expect the offenses to shine through. What’s interesting about this 7 vs 10 matchup is that Missouri may be under-seeded due to poor metrics on its resume, while the Aggies’ elite metrics may have boosted how good they really are.

Yet the oddsmakers find it differently, as Utah State is favored by 1-2 points. Either way, expect a lot of points and for the winner to give Arizona (assuming they win against Princeton) a tough fight in the Round of 32.