New Orleans Privateers vs. MSM Mountaineers Odds, March Madness Betting Pick

Mount St. Mary's is 15-3 over its last 18 games, while the University of New Orleans is 8-2 over its last 10. So two teams who've been playing some good ball as of late hook up when the Mountaineers and Privateers tip off the 2017 NCAA tournament with a First Four game Tuesday night in Dayton, Ohio.

Point spread: The Privateers opened as 2.5-point favorites, according to sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark. (Line updates and matchup report)

March Madness betting pick, via OddsShark computer: 69.3-65.5 Mountaineers (College basketball picks on every game) (Download the NCAA tournament bracket)

Why New Orleans can cover the spread

UNO pulled off the double in the Southland Conference this season, winning six of its last eight games to claim the regular-season title and taking the conference tournament crown by outlasting Texas A&M-Corpus Corpus Christi in overtime Saturday 68-65. So the Privateers are making their first appearance at the Big Dance since 1996.

New Orleans trailed the Islanders by seven points at halftime Saturday but forced overtime with a couple of late free throws before prevailing.

Led by forward Erik Thomas, the Southland Conference Player of the Year who's averaging almost 20 points and eight rebounds per game, New Orleans is shooting 47 percent from the floor this season, while holding opponents to less than 44 percent shooting. The Privateers have also out-rebounded six of their last 10 foes.

Why Mount St. Mary's can cover the spread

The Mountaineers started just 1-11 this season before winning 18 of their last 22 games to claim their first Northeast Conference regular-season title. The Maryland-based school won the conference tournament championship with a 71-61 victory over St. Francis last Tuesday. So the Mountaineers are dancing for the second time in the last four seasons.

Mount St. Mary's started slowly in that conference championship tilt against the Red Flash. It trailed by eight points at halftime, then exploded for 48 points in the second half for the win and cover the five-point spread.

Earlier this season the Mountaineers gave Iowa State, Minnesota and Arkansas a good game for 25-30 minutes before fading, and they played five games against power conference teams that made the NCAA tournament.

Smart betting pick

Mount St. Mary's has the great guard play, but New Orleans shoots the ball a little better and does a better job on the boards. The smart pick in this spot is the Privateers.

March Madness betting trends

The total has gone under in seven of Mount St. Mary's last eight games as an underdog.

New Orleans is 3-0 SU and ATS in its last three games as a favorite.

Mount St. Mary's is 15-3 SU in its last 18 games.

All college basketball lines and betting trends courtesy of Bleacher Report’s official odds partner, OddsShark. All quotes gathered firsthand unless otherwise noted. Check out Twitter for injury and line-movement updates and the OddsShark YouTube page for picks and analysis, or download the free odds tracker app.