Mount St. Mary's vs. Albany First Four Betting Line, Analysis, Pick

The Albany Great Danes closed the season winning six of seven games straight up, while the Mount St. Mary’s Mountaineers won four in a row.

Those two schools will put those trends on the line in the First Four on Tuesday night as they look to advance to the South Region of the NCAA tournament.

Spread and total points scored betting line

The Great Danes opened as one-point favorites; the total was 142. (Compare lines and consensus on the Odds Shark matchup report)

Odds Shark computer pick

73-69 Albany

Why pick Mount St. Mary's to cover the spread

The Mountaineers won the Northeast conference title and roll into the Big Dance having covered the point spread in their last two games. Mount St. Mary's is an extremely dangerous team if it gets on a roll offensively, as it ranks 11th in the country with 8.9 three-pointers per game.

Why pick Albany to cover the spread

Albany won the America East conference title to get to this point. The Great Danes have been a solid pick vs. the spread, as they come in on ATS win streaks of 10-1 on neutral courts and 6-0 overall. Albany can also get hot, as it shoots 44 percent from the field.

Albany finished the year on a 6-1 SU run and have beaten Mount St. Mary’s in both meetings since 2010, according to the matchup report.

Smart betting pick

The smart betting pick in this game is to ignore the point spread and play the total over the betting line. Both teams will be amped up just to be in the dance, and will be looking to make a statement immediately.

Whichever teams gets hot first, the other is bound to respond. The over is the pick in this game.

Power rankings

Mount St. Mary's Mountaineers: No. 252

Albany Great Danes: No. 71 (per Odds Shark power ranks)

March Madness betting trends

• Albany finished year on 6-1 SU run
• Albany won America East title
• Mount St Mary’s won Northeast title
• Mount St. Mary’s finished on 5-1 SU run

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