🏀 Prairie View A&M vs. Lehigh Prediction: First Four Odds & Picks (March 18)

My best Prairie View A&M vs. Lehigh prediction for Wednesday's 6:40 p.m. ET (truTV) First Four game at UD Arena in Dayton, Ohio, focuses on Lehigh's 3-point shooting abilities. Lehigh is the 2.5-point betting favorite.

These teams struggled in non-conference and conference games, but Lehigh is one of the best 3-point shooting teams in the nation, while Prairie View A&M struggles to defend the arc. Look for Lehigh to advance thanks to the sharpshooting of Nasir Whitlock, who made more than 44% of his attempts from deep this year.

🏀 Prairie View A&M vs. Lehigh picks & odds: First Four (March 18)

See all of our experts' college basketball picks based on the latest college basketball odds; picks rated on a 1-to-5 star confidence scale based on betting value.

Total wagered: 3 units | Max profit: 2.77units

💰 Prairie View A&M vs. Lehigh prediction & best bet

Lehigh -2.5 (-110)

Lehigh is only averaging 21.3 3-point attempts per game, tied for 239th nationally, but the Mountain Hawks have success when they shoot. Lehigh is averaging 36.5% from 3-point range, the 39th-best mark in the country.

Meanwhile, Prairie View A&M hasn't defended the 3-point line well, allowing opponents to make 35% of their 3-point attempts.

In the Panthers' final three games of the SWAC Tournament, opponents shot only 30.4% from deep, but Prairie View A&M still ranks 249th in the nation in 3-point defense.

Score prediction: Lehigh 77 - Prairie View A&M 71

🔥 Best Prairie View A&M vs. Lehigh player prop bet

Nasir Whitlock Over 22.5 points (-106)

Whitock has made 77 of his 173 3-point attempts this season. No other Lehigh player has more than 47 makes or 138 attempts. Averaging just over five attempts per game and shooting 44.5% from deep, this is a perfect matchup for Whitlock.

Whitlock is averaging 21.0 points per game, and he's scored at least 22 in four of his last six contests. And when Whitlock finds a matchup he likes, he exploits it, which has led to eight 30-point games.

Considering he's made six 3-pointers in multiple games this season, don't be surprised if he takes over offensively and blows this total away.

🚀 Prairie View A&M vs. Lehigh same-game parlay

It would be nice to take Whitlock over 2.5 3-pointers made rather than Over 22.5 points, as the price is slightly better at +106. However, FanDuel won't allow the three-leg parlay. 

I'm going all in on Lehigh. If they win, it will be in a high-scoring game where Whitlock shoots lights out. It's that simple.

💡 How I'm betting Prairie View A&M vs. Lehigh

Follow all of our college basketball analysis and expert predictions this season.

It's hard to know if the moment will be too big for either team, and we've seen some shocking results in First Four games over the years.

Therefore, even though I think that Lehigh's 3-point shooting gives them a massive advantage, Lehigh -2.5 is only a one-unit play for me. And while both teams score at a high rate and allow a lot of points, nerves could be a major factor in this game. In a normal setting, this Over would easily hit. But in the NCAA tournament, this is just a 0.5-unit play.

As for Whitlock, I expect him to score in the mid-20s, and potentially even reach 30. Prairie View A&M can't defend the 3-point line. But this is only a 1.5-unit play, just in case Prairie View A&M decides to double-team Whitlock and force other Lehigh players to beat them.

📊 Live Prairie View A&M vs. Lehigh odds: First Four

Prairie View A&M actually opened as a 1.5-point favorite, but the public has been all over Lehigh. Lehigh is now favored by 2.5, and I wouldn't be surprised to see this number reach 3.5, the max number for which I'd bet on them.

As for the total, the number opened at 148.5, and it has dropped to 143.5. If this number keeps dropping, my confidence increases, especially if it ends up around 140.5.

📈 Prairie View A&M vs. Lehigh betting trends

📺 How to watch Prairie View A&M vs. Lehigh: First Four

• Date: Wednesday, March 18
• Tipoff: 6:40 p.m. ET
• Location: UD Arena (Dayton, Ohio)
• TV: truTV
• Streaming: March Madness Live