The Round of 64 of the 2023 NCAA Tournament officially begins for the conference on Thursday, as Missouri and Utah State meet for the 7/10 matchup in the South Region. This is only the third time the two programs have ever faced off on the hardwood, with the most recent meeting having come back during the 1968-69 season.
Missouri, led by head coach Dennis Gates, enters the 2023 NCAA Tournament with a 24-9 overall record, one that also included an 11-7 mark in SEC play to finish fourth in the conference. Coming off a semifinal appearance at the SEC Tournament, the Tigers are now a No. 7 seed in this year’s NCAA Tournament, and are making their first March Madness appearance since the 2020-21 season in which they made a first round exit as a No. 9 seed.
The Tigers are one of the SEC’s top offensive teams averaging 79.5 PPG, while also allowing 74.6 PPG to opponents, and are the nation’s No. 3 overall team in steals by averaging 10.3 per game. Missouri is led by the 2022-23 SEC Scholar-Athlete of the Year Kobe Brown at 15.8 PPG and 6.3 RPG, and have numerous other key scorers such as D’Moi Hodge, DeAndre Gholston, Noah Carter, Isiaih Mosley, Nick Honor, and Sean East, each of which are averaging at-least 7+ PPG.
Utah State, led by head coach Ryan Odom, enters the 2023 NCAA Tournament with a 26-8 overall record, one that included a 13-5 mark in Mountain West play, finishing third in the conference in the regular season. The Aggies, who are a No. 10 seed in the NCAA Tournament, are coming off a loss in the Mountain West Tournament title game, and are also making their first March Madness appearance since the 2020-21 campaign in which they made a first round exit as a No. 11 seed.
The Aggies were one of the Mountain West’s top offensive teams averaging 78.6 PPG, while also allowing 69.7 PPG to opponents, while also being an elite three-point shooting team, ranking No. 5 nationally at a combined 39.3%. Utah State also has five players averaging in double figures, a group that includes Steven Ashworth, Taylor Funk, Max Shulga, Mountain West Sixth Man of the Year Daniel Akin, and Sean Bairstow, while Trevin Dorius and Zee Hamoda are key names in the Aggies frontcourt.
Missouri vs Utah State Line, Spread, Over/Under
As of Tuesday afternoon, Utah State is a 1.5-point favorite over Missouri, with the over/under set at 155.5 according to FanDuel. Utah State is also -120, while Missouri is +100.
Missouri vs Utah State 2023 NCAA Tournament Prediction
A tough Round of 64 matchup for Missouri, this game could honestly go either way, and is likely set to be close throughout. I’ll say that Missouri comes away with the win however, ultimately pulling away due to some big shots late in the second half. Prediction: Missouri 78, Utah State 74
What Channel is the Missouri vs Utah State Game On?
A Round of 64 matchup in the South Region of the 2023 NCAA Tournament, No. 7 seed Missouri and No. 10 seed Utah State will play Thursday, March 16 at 1:40 PM ET on TNT. The game will be played at Golden 1 Center in Sacramento, CA.
Missouri vs Utah State Live Stream
A live stream of the Round of 64 matchup between No. 7 seed Missouri and No. 10 seed Utah State can be found here on fuboTV.
Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change