Grambling State vs. Montana St. First Four Prediction: March Madness Odds
A Midwest Region First Round matchup with top-seeded Purdue will be up for grabs on Wednesday night, when the Grambling State Tigers take on the Montana State Bobcats in NCAA Tournament First Four action at University of Dayton Arena.
The Tigers earned their first trip to the Big Dance in their 63-year history by topping the archrival Texas Southern Tigers in last weekend’s SWAC Tournament final and have now won three in a row and 18 of 22 overall since New Year’s Day. The Bobcats return to the Big Dance for a third straight year after rolling to an 85-70 victory over the cross-state rival Montana Grizzlies last week to claim a third straight Big Sky Championship win, and have now won six of eight overall.
The Bobcats have emerged as 3.5-point favourites on the Wednesday First Four odds while the Tigers lag as +150 moneyline underdogs, and the total is listed at 135.5.
Grambling State vs. Montana St. NCAA Tournament Point Spread and Betting
Wednesday night’s clash marks the first ever meeting between these squads. In addition to being March Madness debutants, the Tigers have little other postseason experience, making just one previous appearance in the CIT in 2019 and a lone appearance in the NIT in 1980. But you wouldn’t know based on how this team has played since the start of 2024. With a 14-4 record, the Tigers claimed a second straight SWAC regular-season crown, and have also been reliable at the sportsbook, covering the spread in 14 of their past 20 contests and winning outright in seven of their past eight while pegged as underdogs.
The Bobcats struggled to produce consistent results until late in the campaign and found a higher gear in the Big Sky Tournament, posting three wins in three days including victories over Weber State and Montana as lengthy underdogs. However, success has eluded the Bobcats at March Madness, where they have yet to earn a win in five all-time appearances, with their three most recent defeats coming by an average margin of 26.7 points.
Grambling State Tigers
Kintavious Dozier emerged as Grambling’s leading scorer this season with 13.1 points per game and averaged 13.3 points in three SWAC Tournament games. Senior Jourdain Smith rose to the occasion in last weekend’s win over Texas Southern, dropping a team-high 20 points and has not scored at least 17 points in four of his past seven outings.
Montana St. Bobcats
Senior Robert Ford III demonstrated why he is this team’s leader during the Big Sky Tournament. The top scorer and rebounder on the squad throughout the campaign, Ford averaged 22.7 points in three tournament contests, capped by a 22-point, nine-rebouns performance in last week’s berth-clinching victory over Montana.
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