UT Rio Grande Valley at New Orleans

This is a big game for Texas Rio Grande Valley, only the second time the men's basketball program has been involved in postseason play at the NCAA Division I level. The program has made eight previous postseason appearances, going 17-10 straight-up. The team finished third in the WAC in scoring, second in free throws (.739%). They have solid rebounders in 6-6 Xavier McDaniel Jr. and 6-6 Terry Winn (9.3 ppg, 6.8 rpg), plus a star in the backcourt in senior Nick Dixon (20.6 ppg). They face a New Orleans squad that has a losing record on the season and at home they have outscored opponents by just over one-point per game. The New Orleans Privateers are also awful from the free throw line (67.3%) and are favored despite losing six of their last nine contests. That included the last game, an 85-63 thumping to Sam Houston State. Back Texas Rio Grande Valley.