Baylor vs. Mississippi State

Baylor is 9-4 all-time in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament, including six straight wins. The Bears are built for another good run with balance, ranked sixth in the 16-team Big 12 in scoring and seventh in points allowed. They're also sixth in free-throw shooting and turnover margin (+1.73). They're one of just four teams to win at least one NCAA Tournament game in each of the last five seasons, along with Gonzaga, Houston, and Kansas. Mississippi State had a losing SEC mark with an offense that is 12th in the 16-team conference in shooting, 14th from long range (31.4%), and 15th from the charity stripe (70%). The defense is 12th in points surrendered (74.2 per game) and second-to-last at defending the 3-pointer (36.1%). Play Baylor on the moneyline.