Check out our free TCU vs Mississippi State pick and preview for this NCAA Basketball game in Starkville. See who we like to win and cover the spread in this College Basketball matchup.

TCU vs Mississippi State Pick & Preview: Saturday, January 28th Betting Odds

Horned Frogs vs Bulldogs Matchup at a Glance

  • Sport: NCAAB
  • Teams: TCU Horned Frogs at Mississippi State Bulldogs
  • Where: Starkville at Humphrey Coliseum
  • Date: Saturday, January 28th
  • Betting Odds: TCU -2.5, TCU -145 | MSPST +118 O/U 131.5

Horned Frogs Preview:

TCU heads into this matchup having played 20 games and have an overall record sitting at 16-4. So far, the Horned Frogs have played 5 games on the road, with a record of 3-2. This season, TCU has been favored to win in 14 games, sitting with a mark of 12-2. For today’s contest, TCU has a betting line set -2.5 points in their favor.

TCU’s leading scorer this season is Mike Miles Jr., who is averaging 19.12 points per contest. So far, Jr. has accounted for 20.9% of the team’s scoring. In addition, he is contributing 3.0 rebounds per game and 3.18 assists. Emanuel Miller is the second leading scorer for the Horned Frogs, averaging 13.53 points per game. Between him and Miller, they are accounting for 35.7% of the team’s scoring.

Offensive production has been hard to come by for TCU this season, as they are currently ranked 298th in college basketball at 68.1 points per game. A major reason for low scoring totals is the fact that they have played at a below average pace, and have struggled to knock down outside shots. As a team, the Horned Frogs’ 3-point shooting percentage sits at just 30.4%, placing them 450th in the NCAA.

Bulldogs Preview:

The Mississippi State Bulldogs head into today’s game in what will be their 21st game of the season, posting a record of 12-8. Currently, the Bulldogs have been the home team 15 times, sitting with a record of 11-4. So far, the Bulldogs have been the underdog 5 times, going 0-5 straight up. Heading into today’s contest, they are the +2.5 underdogs on the spread.

Tolu Smith comes into today’s game as the Bulldogs’ leading scorer at 13.8 points per contest. Not only has Smith been key to the team’s scoring efforts, but he is Mississippi State’s top rebounder at 8.0 boards per contest. Behind Smith, the team has benefited from the strong play of D.J Jeffries, who is second on the team in scoring at 9.0 points per game. Overall, he has hit 33.2% of his shots and is adding 6.0 boards per game.

Offensive production has been hard to come by for Mississippi State this season, as they are currently ranked 209th in college basketball at 70.9 points per game. A major reason for low scoring totals is the fact that they have played at a below average pace, and have struggled to knock down outside shots. As a team, the Bulldogs’ 3-point shooting percentage sits at just 29.5%, placing them 479th in the NCAA.

Free Spread Prediction: TCU Horned Frogs -2.5

For this matchup, our college basketball betting model points to their being value in taking the TCU on the spread as -2.5 point favorites over the Mississippi State Bulldogs. Not only do we see the team continuing to perform well vs the spread on the road, as the school is 7-3 vs the spread (last 10), they are due to shut down a Mississippi State unit that struggles with their outside shooting. Look for a good defensive effort to be the key reason that the Horned Frogs take care of business and cover as -2.5 point favorites.