March Madness Round 1: TCU vs Utah State Final Score
We Don't Agree With The TCU vs Utah State Spreads
TCU vs Utah State Final Score
TCU vs Utah State Preview
The TCU Horned Frogs will play the Utah State Aggies in the second-to-last matchup in the opening round.
The Aggies landed the No. 8 seed in the Midwest Region, while TCU earned the No. 9 seed. Many critics thought TCU didn’t deserve to even be inside the Tournament, while other analysts figured Utah State would have a higher seeding.
Despite what other bracketologists suggested, TCU will be a small favorite heading into this matchup. The Horned Frogs come from the Big 12, which had eight teams, including themselves, make the Tournament. However, the Mountain West wasn’t far off, with six teams that made March Madness.
This should be a down-to-the-wire type of matchup. TCU is currently -3.5, with the total at 150.5. While the spread hasn’t moved much, the total jumped from 146.5 at open to 150.5. However, the Under is still juiced at 150.5 at -115.
Let’s glance over at the TCU vs Utah State spreads for this potential thriller in the Midwest Region.
TCU vs Utah State 
Location: Gainbridge Fieldhouse
Day/Time: Streaming: TBS
TCU vs Utah State Spreads & Trends
The TCU Horned Frogs have been kind of surprising this year. If anything, TCU has exceeded expectations after going 19-14 against the spread this year. The Horned Frogs also hit the over in three more games than the under this season. However, away from home, TCU was just 6-5 straight-up.
On the other hand, Utah State finished the year 27-6 but went 14-14-3 against the spread. The over was consistent for the Aggies, as it hit in 19 games this season.
TCU and Utah State haven’t played each other since 1982.
Third Consecutive NCAA Tournament Appearance for TCU
It’s hard to make it into the NCAA Tournament. You have to have good NCAA basketball rankings year after year consistently.
However, the TCU Horned Frogs have earned their third consecutive bid into the NCAA Tournament this year. They’ll be a No. 9 seed in a tough Midwest Region.
The Horned Frogs advanced to the second round in the 2022 and 2023 Tournaments and will look to do that again this year.
Meanwhile, this is head coach Jamie Dixon‘s 15th time in March Madness as a head coach, but his fourth time at TCU. He’s one of only nine active head coaches who have made the NCAA Tournament 15 or more times in their careers.
Experience in the NCAA Tournament never hurts.
Utah State’s Collapse In The Mountain West Tournament
The Aggies lost to San Diego State, 86-70, in the semifinals of the Mountain West Tournament. With that score, you’d think they were blown out from the start.
However, Utah State led at halftime, 39-36. The Aztecs just outshot Utah State, 51.2% to 31.6% in the second half.
At one point in the first half, Utah State was up by 17. But the Aggies lost by 16 after giving up 50 points to San Diego State in the second half.
Utah State rarely lost this season, and they haven’t had to regroup many times. But they’ll need to put that loss behind them and prepare for the NCAA Tournament matchup against TCU.
Utah State’s Undervalued
It’s not just Utah State. It’s the entire Mountain West. The selection committee undervalued the conference and is even being underestimated by oddsmakers.
The Mountain West doesn’t get enough love. You’ll surely want to check back to yesterday’s NCAA basketball scores. The Mountain West teams will likely move on to the next round.
After all, Utah State finished 27-6 while playing in a difficult conference that had five other teams land a bid in the NCAA Tournament. For comparison, the ACC and Big East had fewer teams make the NCAA Tournament than the Mountain West. It’s an elite league with tons of talent.
The Aggies held opponents to 28.6% from 3-points and kept offensive rebounds at a minimum. However, the Aggies struggled to defend inside the arc, allowing 52.3% from two this season.
TCU doesn’t bother shooting threes. The Horned Frogs would much rather try to score inside, which favors TCU. The Horned Frogs are also very fast and turn the ball over at a high rate because of it. However, Utah State doesn’t add many turnovers themselves.
Ultimately, the Aggies need to force TCU into tough shots and find more ways to earn turnovers in this game.
On the other hand, Utah State should see the foul line more. Although the Aggies only shoot 71.5% from the foul line this season, Utah State is 26th in the nation in FTA/FGA, while TCU is 257th defensively.
The Aggies have also nailed 57.3% from inside the arc, which is much higher than TCU’s 51.2%. The Horned Frogs also don’t defend inside the arc very well, giving up a rate of 50.9% from inside the arc this season.
Utah State isn’t always efficient from downtown, but like TCU, the Aggies don’t take many threes. 55.6% of Utah State’s points come from inside. Plus, Utah State is pretty good with the ball and shouldn’t allow TCU to earn a high rate of turnovers like the Horned Frogs typically do.
Therefore, there won’t be a next March Madness game for the Horned Frogs. We will roll with the Aggies at +3.5 (-110) after looking at the TCU vs Utah State spreads.
For NCAA March Madness scores, betting odds, analysis, and more, visit Point Spreads Sports Magazine.
