First Four: Wyoming vs Indiana 3/15/22 College Basketball Picks, Predictions, Odds

The Wyoming Cowboys and Indiana Hoosiers clash Tuesday night in a First Four matchup of the NCAA Tournament – East Region at the UD Arena.

The 12-seed Indiana Hoosiers finished their regular season with an overall record of 20-13 and punched their ticket to the NCAA Tournament earning an at-large bid. Indiana earned the 9-seed in the Big Ten Championship with a conference record of 9-11, however, the Hoosiers were solid in the Big Ten Championship after upsetting both Michigan & Illinois before falling to the eventual Big Ten champions, Iowa Hawkeyes, in the Semifinals. Indiana struggled a bit on the road this season, however, the Hoosiers were strong at home (14-4 record) and on a neutral court (3-1 record) and had impressive victories over Notre Dame, Ohio State, Purdue, Michigan, & Illinois.

On the season, Indiana is averaging 71.5 ppg on 45.9% shooting from the field. The Hoosiers are averaging 6.1 three-pointers per game on 33.9% shooting from beyond the arc. Offensively, Indiana has been led by Trayce Jackson-Davis (18.1 ppg, 8.2 rpg, 1.9 apg, 2.4 bpg), Xavier Johnson (12.3 ppg, 3.8 rpg, 5.0 apg, 1.2 spg), Race Thompson (11.5 ppg, 7.6 rpg, 1.5 apg, 1.0 spg), Parker Stewart (6.4 ppg, 2.1 rpg, 1.0 apg), & Miller Kopp (6.3 ppg, 2.6 rpg, 1.1 apg).

Defensively, Indiana is holding their opponents to an average of 65.9 ppg on 39.1% shooting from the field. The Hoosiers have a rebound margin of 2.8 and a turnover margin of 0.1.

The 12-seed Wyoming Cowboys finished their regular season with an overall record of 25-8 and was able to secure a spot in the NCAA Tournament after earning an at-large bid. Wyoming earned the 4-seed in the Mountain West Tournament with a 13-5 conference record however, after defeating UNLV in their opening round game, the Cowboys could not get by the 1-seed Boise State Broncos after losing to Boise State by a 68-61 margin. Wyoming was able to pick up some nice wins against Washington & Northern Iowa in their non-conference schedule and started conference play with a 10-1 record, however, the Cowboys struggled a bit down the stretch and come into this game losing 5 of their last 9 games.

On the season, Wyoming is averaging 73.0 ppg on 45.8% shooting from the field. The Cowboys are averaging 8.2 three-pointers per game on 34.3% shooting from beyond the arc. Offensively, Wyoming has been led by Graham Ike (19.6 ppg, 9.6 rpg, 1.3 apg), Hunter Maldonado (18.4 ppg, 5.8 rpg, 6.3 apg, 1.2 spg), Drake Jeffries (10.5 ppg, 5.3 rpg), Jeremiah Oden (7.9 ppg, 4.6 rpg), & Xavier DuSell (7.8 ppg, 2.4 rpg, 1.0 apg).

Defensively, Wyoming is holding their opponents to an average of 65.5 ppg on 41.4% shooting from the field. The Cowboys have a rebound margin of 3.2 and a turnover margin of -0.3.

The Hoosiers are 4-0 ATS in their last 4 games overall & 13-6 ATS in their last 19 games as a favorite. The Cowboys are 9-3 ATS in their last 12 neutral stie games, however, are just 1-4 ATS in their last 5 games overall.

Indiana has been led by their defense which ranks t-78^th in scoring defense & 17^th in defensive FG%, and have been also decent on the offensive end, ranking 158^th in scoring offense & 75^th in FG%. Wyoming has also been solid on both ends of the court this season as the Cowboys come into this game ranked 126^th in scoring offense, 78^th in FG%, 64^th in scoring defense, & 74^th in defensive FG%.

Wyoming has had a great season, however, this is a team that didn’t look great down the stretch, which included losses to New Mexico & UNLV, and just doesn’t have the overall talent to mathcup with the Hooisers. Indiana has the best player on the court in Trayce Jackson-Davis and as I think their defense gives Wyoming a bunch of trouble in this one, I’m taking Indiana to cover this small spread. Good Luck!