The First Four lines up what should be a fun matchup between two teams you know nothing about.
The Bryant Bulldogs battle the Wright State Raiders for the No. 16 seed in the NCAA Tournament Round of 64, and the honor of playing (and probably falling to) No. 1 seed Arizona in the South Region.
Both Bryant and Wright State are offense-minded programs, which has March Madness odds cooking up a tall total for this play-in game in Dayton on Wednesday — a default home game for the Raiders.
Check out our free March Madness picks and predictions for Bryant vs. Wright State on March 16.
Wright State vs Bryant odds
This odds widget represents the best odds available for each betting market from regulated sportsbooks.
Bookies opened Wright State as a 2-point favorite and that trimmed to -1.5 with early play on the Bulldogs but the spread has since climbed to -3.5. The total hit the board at 151.5 points and is up as high as 153.5 at some shops while others are dealing 152.5.
Use the live odds widget above to track any future line movements right up until tip-off and be sure to check out the full college basketball odds before placing your bets.
Wright State vs Bryant predictions
Predictions made on 3/14/2022 at 11:45 a.m. ET.
Click on each prediction to jump to the full analysis.
If you're signing up for a new sportsbook for March Madness, here are two of the best bonuses available:
USA: New users at Caesars can bet $10 on any team to win a tournament game — and win $200 in free bets as long as any team hits a 3-pointer during the tournament! Sign Up Now
Canada: Bryant to win + Charles Pride Over 19.5 points + Peter Kiss Over 24.5 points BOOSTED to +700 (was +550) at bet365! Claim Now
Wright State vs Bryant game info
• Location: UD Arena, Dayton, OH
• Date: Wednesday, March 16, 2022
• Tip-off: 6:40 p.m. ET
• TV: truTV
Wright State vs Bryant betting preview
Injuries
Wright State: None.
Bryant: None.
Find our latest NCAA basketball injury reports.
Betting trend to know
Bryant is 12-4 against the spread in its last 16 games overall. Find more NCAA betting trends for Wright State vs. Bryant.
Wright State vs Bryant picks and predictions
Our side and total predictions are based upon our analysis of the line and total in this game. Our best bet is our favorite pick across all markets.
Spread analysis
The First Four is headlined by the nation’s leading scorer, Bryant guard Peter Kiss. He averaged more than 25 points per game in the regular season and came up big against Wagner in the Northeast Conference title game, dropping 34 points on 13-for-23 shooting including a 4-for-5 effort from beyond the arc.
Kiss and fellow guard Charles Pride (17.9 ppg) have the Bulldogs rolling into the NCAA Tournament, having won seven straight going back to February 17. In fact, Bryant has tasted defeat only twice since the calendar flipped to 2022, boasting a 13-5 ATS mark during that stretch.
Wright State could be ripe for a letdown in the play-in round after winning the Horizon League tournament as a No. 4 seed and knocking off favorite Cleveland State in the semifinals. The Raiders then edged Northern Kentucky by one in the title game to earn their first ticket to the Big Dance since 2018.
The Raiders don’t have to travel far — or at all — for this First Four game, with their campus in Dayton, Ohio, which is why we see oddsmakers giving a slight edge to Wright State with the point spread. This will also be Bryant’s first road game since February 24 and just the second away tilt for the program in the past seven contests.
Even with that local edge, however, the Raiders may not be able to keep pace with the Bulldogs, who ranked out as the seventh fastest tempo in the country and believe in quantity over quality on offense, hoisting an average of 62 shots per game.
The Raiders are no slouches on offense, putting up over 75 points an outing, but their defense leaves much to be desired. Wright State allows foes to fire at an effective field goal rate of 51.3% (238th) and while it tightened up on defense during the Horizon tournament — lowering that to 47.3% — the Raiders are running into a completely different beast in Bryant.
With the spread indicating a tight contest, a potential letdown from Wright State, and an overblown “home” advantage swinging the spread, we’re leaning toward the team with the most star power getting the points.
Prediction: Bryant +3.5 (-110)
Best Bonuses
Along with our March Madness best betting sites, check out the best bonuses available for the tournament.
Over/Under analysis
As it stands, this is the tallest total of the entire NCAA Tournament so far: First Four and Round of 64. This is also one of the highest Over/Under numbers a Wright State game has been saddled with this season.
The Raiders didn’t have to wrangle any tempos as fast as Bryant during conference play but did face some pace-pushing opponents earlier in the year, with high totals for games with Marshall (6th in tempo at Kenpom.com) and Long Beach State (27th). Wright State allowed scores of 96 and 85 points in those games, respectively, with both games going Over.
In Horizon League play, the fastest team was Illinois Chicago (65th in tempo) and the Raiders and Flames combined for point totals of 164 and 178 in their two matchups, blowing through the Over/Under number with ease.
Bryant did see its output slump a bit in the NEC tournament, averaging 71 points, but its sometimes shaky offensive efficiency jumped up a few spots. The Bulldogs boasted an effective field goal rate of 50.9% in those three postseason games, piggybacking on a strong finish to the regular season in which that metric soared to 55.6% — up from 49.6% on the season.
The Bulldogs’ NEC tournament efforts also came against foes very familiar with their style of play, and Wright State has a tight turnaround to study game tape and devise a plan to slow down the top scorer in the country and a Bryant attack that puts up buckets in bulk.
Prediction: Over 152.5 (-110)
Best bet
The Bulldogs aren’t just about getting up quick shots and running teams out of the gym. Bryant can also turn up the intensity on defense, as evidenced by its smothering performance against Wagner in the NEC title game.
The Bulldogs checked the Seahawks to only 43 points, stemming from lockdown defense on NEC Player of the Year Alex Morales, who finished 0 for 16 from the field and scored only three points off of foul shots. That was a personal defensive attack on Morales after Kiss was snubbed for PoY honors by the conference. The Bulldogs will turn that intensity toward Wright State star forward Grant Basile.
Bryant enters the First Four having dominated NEC foes on defense in the tournament, holding opponents to scores of 43, 69, and 59 points while limiting those rival offenses to just 35.9% shooting. Granted, those efforts came on their own floor, but if the Bulldogs can bottle that stingy play for Wednesday's contest, they’re a very tough team to beat on both ends of the floor.
Pick: Bryant moneyline (+135)
Become a smarter March Madness bettor
Safe March Madness betting sites
