Pittsburgh vs MS State prediction & game preview - March 14, 2023 | March Madness 2023

In the second game of the NCAA Tournament, Pittsburgh will face off against Mississippi State as both 11 seeds in the Midwest region look to advance on Tuesday night. This First Four matchup will tip off at 9:10 EST on Tru TV.

Mississippi State got off to a hot start to the season, going 11-0 and climbing to as high as the 15th-ranked team in the country. However, the Bulldogs hit a cold stretch, losing eight of their next nine, including seven of their first eight to begin Southeastern Conference play.

The team rebounded and closed the season strong by winning nine of its final 13 games. The Bulldogs' final record of 21-12 was enough to earn an at-large bid and their tournament berth since 2019.

Pittsburgh punched its ticket to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in seven years. The Panthers also looked like a lock to make March Madness early in the season but struggled as the year progressed. Overall, they went 22-11, including 14-6 in the Atlantic Coast Conference, which was enough to earn an at-large bid.

The winner of the game will face off against Iowa State (19-13) in the first round on Friday. The Cyclones are the sixth seed in the Midwest Region.

What to expect from the matchup?

In an era of basketball in which pace, spacing and 3-point shooting are vital, it is somewhat impressive to see Mississippi State have success. The Bulldogs rank 334th in the country in pace of play and dead-last in 3-point percentage by shooting just 26.6% this season.

Much of their production can be credited to 6-foot-11 senior Tolu Smith. He has averaged 15.8 points and 8.5 rebounds, turning many long-range misses into positive points. He is the biggest reason Mississippi State ranks 15th in the country in rebound rate, and the Bulldogs will need a big performance out of him to win.

In contrast, Pittsburgh has struggled to rebound the ball this season, but has produced 76 points per game. While Mississippi State has held opponents to just 61 points per game, Pittsburgh has only been held under this number twice all season. Whoever can win this stylistic battle of offense and defense will likely have their path paved for victory.

This is expected to be a close matchup, with Mississippi State holding a 1.5-point advantage on the spread. The over/under is sitting at 132.5, indicating that Vegas may be leaning towards more of a defensive matchup.