The 2021 NCAA tournament is finally here, and will tip off with the First Four on Thursday.
Our experts — Josh Appelbaum, Tim Murray, David Stall and Greg Peterson — give their best bets for Thursday’s opening four games.
No. 16 Mount St. Mary’s Mountaineers vs. No. 16 Texas Southern Tigers (-1, 133)
Murray: The first game of the 2021 NCAA tournament will have the SWAC champion, Texas Southern, facing the winner of the Northeast Conference, Mt. St. Mary’s. The Mountaineers defeated top-seeded Bryant in the NEC Tournament thanks in part to a tremendous defensive game plan. The Mount has tremendous size for a team from the NEC; their starting frontcourt is Mezie Offurrum (6-foot-8), Nana Opoku (6-9) and Malik Jefferson (6-9). Despite Bryant ranking 14th in the country in adjusted tempo according to Ken Pom, the Mountaineers dictated the pace of the game holding Bryant…
