The top two seeds in the 2023 Southland Conference Tournament square off in the final on Wednesday evening. With a berth in the NCAA Tournament on the line, the Northwestern State Demons face the Texas A&M-Corpus Christi Islanders. Northwestern State is 12-2 in the last 14 games, improving to 22-10 overall and 14-5 against conference foes. Texas A&M-CC is 22-10 and 15-4 in Southland action, including 11 wins in the last 12 games.
Tip-off is at 5 p.m. ET. Caesars Sportsbook lists Texas A&M-CC as a 2.5-point favorite, while the over/under, or total number of points Vegas thinks will be scored, is 145 in the latest Texas A&M-CC vs. Northwestern State odds. Before you make any Northwestern State vs. Texas A&M-CC picks, you need to see the college basketball predictions and betting advice from SportsLine's advanced computer model.
The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every Division I college basketball game 10,000 times. The model enters conference tournament week 76-51 on all-top rated college basketball picks this season, returning nearly $1,200 for $100 players. Anybody who has followed it has seen huge returns.
Now the model has zeroed in Texas A&M-CC vs. Northwestern State and just locked in its picks and CBB predictions. You can head to SportsLine now to see the model's picks. Here are several college basketball odds and betting lines for Northwestern State vs. Texas A&M-CC:
- Texas A&M-CC vs. Northwestern State spread: TAMCC -2.5
- Texas A&M-CC vs. Northwestern State over/under: 145.5 points
- Texas A&M-CC vs. Northwestern State money line: TAMCC -145, NW St. +122
- TXAMCC: The Islanders are 13-6 against the spread in Southland games
- NWST: The Demons are 8-10-1 against the spread in Southland games
- Texas A&M-CC vs. Northwestern State picks: See picks at SportsLine
Why Texas A&M-CC can cover
Texas A&M-CC finished atop the Southland this season, and the Islanders have the best statistical profile in the conference by a considerable margin. Texas A&M-CC led the conference in both offensive efficiency and defensive efficiency, with two standouts at the top of the roster in senior forward Isaac Mushila and senior guard Trevian Tennyson. Mushila leads the team with 9.8 rebounds per game, to go along with 14.9 points per contest, and Tennyson is the leading scorer with 15.8 points per game. The Islanders lead the Southland in offensive rebound rate (34.0%), free throw accuracy (80.7%) and 3-point accuracy (40.1%) this season, while also posting top-four marks in free throw creation rate and turnover rate.
On defense, Texas A&M-CC holds opponents to 31.8% shooting from 3-point range, the top mark in the Southland, and the Islanders also lead the conference in securing nearly 75% of available defensive rebounds. Northwestern State is also in the bottom three of the Southland in both free throw creation rate and free throw accuracy, further boosting the projected efficiency of Texas A&M-CC.
Why Northwestern State can cover
Northwestern State excels on both sides of the floor when compared to Southland foes. The Demons are No. 2 in the conference in offensive efficiency on a per-possession basis, and Northwestern State is in the top two in both offensive rebound rate (33.4%) and 2-point accuracy (55.2%) this season. Northwestern State is also facing a Texas A&M-CC defense that is dead-last in the conference in 2-point defense (53.8%), with bottom-three marks in block rate (4.8%) and free throw rate allowed.
The Demons commit a turnover on only 18.0% of offensive possessions, and that ball security helps to boost the team's defense by preventing transition opportunities. Northwestern State is also in the top three of the Southland in defense, including the best opponent shooting metrics in the conference. The Demons are holding opponents to 33.5% shooting from 3-point range and 49.3% inside the arc this season, with Texas A&M-CC shooting just 49.9% on 2-point attempts.
How to make Northwestern State vs. Texas A&M-CC picks
SportsLine's model is leaning Over on the total, projecting 153 combined points. The model also says one side of the spread hits well over 50% of the time. You can only see the model's picks at SportsLine.
So who wins Texas A&M-CC vs. Northwestern State? And which side of the spread hits well over 50% of the time? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the spread you need to jump on, all from the model that has crushed its college basketball picks, and find out.
