In the 2025 NCAA Tournament, the Texas A&M Aggies, seeded 4th, will face 13th seed Yale Bulldogs. This first-round matchup is set to take place on Thursday. The Aggies, having a record of 22-10, are coming off a shaky stretch, losing 5 of their last 7 games, contrasting with Yale’s impressive run, winning 16 of 17 games, including their conference tournament.

The game will be held at Ball Arena in Denver, starting at 7:25 p.m. ET. Texas A&M is favored by 7.5 points. The overall points total is pegged at 139 according to the SportsLine Consensus. Before finalizing any bets on this game, check predictions from the SportsLine Projection Model, which simulates every Division 1 college basketball game 10,000 times.

Why Texas A&M Can Cover

Texas A&M boasts go-to players like Wade Taylor IV, a three-time All-SEC selection and the all-time leading scorer for the Aggies, and Zhuric Phelps, who averages 14.1 points and has consistently performed against strong competition. Their capability to dominate on offense could challenge a Yale defense ranked poorly among tournament teams.

Why Yale Can Cover

Yale has experienced success in this tournament format before, having upset a higher seed in the previous year. Their lead player, senior John Poulakidas, averages 19.2 points per game, effectively guiding a high-scoring offense. Their solid defense could pressure a struggling Aggies’ shooting squad.

How to Make Picks

The SportsLine model has predicted a total of 142 points for this matchup, recommending a lean towards the Over. This model is noted for hitting against the spread nearly 70% of the time. To gain insights on which team to back, refer to the expert analysis provided by SportsLine.