Mississippi State vs. Pittsburgh Odds, Opening Spread, Start Time for 2023 NCAA Tournament

Mississippi State vs. Pittsburgh Odds

With the men's 2023 NCAA Tournament bracket finally set, March Madness is officially underway.

Find out how Mississippi State and Pittsburgh match up statistically in their battle for an 11 seed, plus how our college basketball betting experts are projecting this first-round matchup to play out.

Mississippi State vs Pittsburgh will tip off at 9:10 p.m. ET on Tuesday, March 14 on truTV.

And for more on this First Four game, head over to our Pitt vs. Mississippi State Odds, Picks | NCAA Tournament First Four Betting Guide.

Statistical Matchup

Instant Analysis

In the era of pace and space, it’s actually a little impressive that Mississippi State made the Big Dance while playing at the 334th-ranked tempo in college basketball and shooting the worst 3-point percentage of any team in the nation. That’s right, the absolute worst. Not among power conference or in the SEC, the Bulldogs hit just 26.6% from deep and still found a way to generate enough offense to succeed.

A lot of that came on the back of Tolu Smith. The big man in the middle gobbled up all of those missed 3s, ranking in the top 25 nationally in offensive rebounding rate. The Bulldogs, as a team ,were 15th in the nation in that stat. Basically, Chris Jans had his guys chucking the ball up and banking on second-chance looks.

That could work against the Panthers, who ranked 12th in the ACC in cleaning the defensive glass. If Pitt can survive in the rebounding battle, the Panthers should score on Mississippi State and advance. But that’s a lot easier said than done.

— Shane McNichol

For more coverage of the 2023 NCAA Tournament and Selection Sunday, make sure to check out our experts' live reactions to the bracket reveal and the Selection Sunday live show, where you can get their instant analysis on every matchup as well as some early insights to help you make your bets.

Don't forget to print out your 2023 NCAA Tournament bracket, as well — and while you're there, enter the bet 365 Bracket Challenge content for your chance to win up to $10,000,000. Enter for free at actionnetwork.com/bracket.