March Madness: Yale vs. Texas A&M odds, picks and predictions
The No. 13 Yale Bulldogs (22-7) and the No. 4 seed Texas A&M Aggies (22-10) meet Thursday at Ball Arena in Denver in an NCAA Tournament South Region first-round game. Tip-off is scheduled for approximately 7:25 p.m. ET (TBS). Let's analyze BetMGM Sportsbook's lines around the Yale vs. Texas A&M odds, and make our expert college basketball picks and predictions.
The Bulldogs won the Ivy League title, easing past the Cornell Big Red 90-84 as 5-point favorites as the Over (159) connected. Yale has won 16 of the past 17 games since Jan. 1, with the lone loss coming at the Harvard Crimson on March 1. The Elis are just 4-5 ATS in the past 9 games. The Under is 5-1 across the past 6 outings.
G John Poulakidas led the way with 19.2 points per game (PPG), while F Nick Townsend was good for 15.4 PPG and 7.2 RPG. G Bez Mbeng can do a little bit of everything, too, going for 13.4 PPG, 5.6 APG and 5.5 RPB with a team-best 1.9 steals per game.
Yale didn't face an SEC team this season, but it had its season ended by one last year. It lost 71-62 at the Vanderbilt Commodores on March 14, 2024, as a 4-point underdog as the Under (147.5) cashed.
A&M was shown the door in its first SEC Tournament game against the Texas Longhorns, falling 94-89 in OT as a 6-point favorite. The Over (140.5) easily came through, with G Wade Taylor posting a game-high 29 points to go along with 7 rebounds and 3 assists. He was 17-of-18 from the free-throw line, too.
The Aggies have dropped 5 of the past 7 games since Feb. 18, while also going 2-5 against the spread (ATS), a big reason why bracketheads are picking Yale as a sexy upset possibility. The Over is 5-1 in the past 6 games for Texas A&M.
This is Texas A&M's first Ivy League opponents since facing Harvard on a neutral floor in 2019, a 62-51 loss at the HP Field House near Walt Disney World in Florida.
– Rankings: USA TODAY Sports Men's Basketball Coaches Poll
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Yale vs. Texas A&M odds
Provided by BetMGM Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated Wednesday at 11:32 p.m. ET.
Moneyline (ML) : Yale +275 (bet $100 to win $275) | Texas A&M -350 (bet $350 to win $100)
: Yale +275 (bet $100 to win $275) | Texas A&M -350 (bet $350 to win $100) Against the spread (ATS) : Yale +8.5 (-115) | Texas A&M -8.5 (-105)
: Yale +8.5 (-115) | Texas A&M -8.5 (-105) Over/Under (O/U): 139.5 (O: -105 | U: -115)
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Yale vs. Texas A&M picks and predictions
Prediction
Texas A&M 75, Yale 72
Texas A&M (-350) will make the bracket nerds sweat in Round 1. For betting purposes, you cannot risk 3 1/2 times your potential return. While this is a No. 4 seed against a No. 13 seed, the books believe it will play more like a No. 7 against a No. 10 seed. They're expecting a close one, and so are we.
PASS.
YALE +8.5 (-115) catching more than 4 buckets is a strong play, but know you'll be going with the public. That's usually a scary proposition, and Joey Public rarely wins and cleans up against the books.
Still, Texas A&M -8.5 (-115) was a dismal 2-5 SU/ATS in the final 7 games, and it cannot be trusted against the likes of a 3-headed monster like Yale Basketball. This isn't your dad's Yale team. This is a fun, exciting and offensively-gifted side.
OVER 139.5 (-105) is a strong play here.
The Over has cashed in 5 of the past 6 games for the Aggies, while going 4-2 on a neutral floor this season.
For the Elis, though, the Under is 5-1 in the past 6 outings. However, this Yale side has averaged 81.7 PPG this season, while hitting 49.0% from the field to rank 11th in the country. On threes, Yale ranks 10th at 38.8%.
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