The Cowboys are back in the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2015, this time in the play-in game against Indiana as a No. 12 seed. I like how Wyoming matches up with Indiana, as they can counter Indiana's best player, 6-foot-9 Trayce Jackson-Davis, with their own big man, Graham Ike. Checking in at 6-foot-9 and 252 pounds, Ike is averaging 19.6 points and 9.6 rebounds per game. The Cowboys also have senior guard Hunter Maldonado, a player who can do it all. Maldonado is averaging 18.4 points, 5.8 rebounds, 6.3 assists and 1.2 steals per game. Indiana also shoots under 70% from the free-throw line as a team, so with a close spread like this, I love the fact that Wyoming is getting over one full possession of points.

Both of these teams are at their best with their one-two, inside-outside playmakers in sync with strong performances. Indiana has Xavier Johnson and Trayce Jackson-Davis while Wyoming has Hunter Maldonado and Graham Ike. I think Ike is able to challenge TJD down low at both ends of the floor and the best Wyoming team in more than a decade is going to be able to hang within one possession of a surging Indiana team.

I bet Indiana in this game not only because of its crashing the Big Ten Tournament party last week but more because Wyoming has been dragging the last four weeks after an amazing first two-thirds of the season when the Cowboys took smart shots. They have lost five of their last nine and now have to travel more than 1,200 miles to Dayton to play a Hoosiers squad that has come full circle and looks like the confident bunch that started 6-0. Indiana to cover.

The Cowboys bring plenty of size to this fight, with five players who are at least 6'7 seeing regular time in the rotation. That size is why the Cowboys can get to the free-throw line so consistently (their 37% free-throw rate ranks 33rd nationally) and why they shoot so well on the interior (their 54.5% shooting percentage inside the arc ranks 32nd). That could cause problems for an Indiana team that is sound defensively but lacks size on the interior after Trayce Jackson-Davis and Race Thompson. This feels like a tough, lower-scoring game that will come down to the final possessions, so I'll happily take four points with Wyoming.

The Cowboys had a great season but they struggle versus elite defensive clubs like Indiana. Wyoming lost five of its last nine games; all the defeats were by six-plus points. Hoosiers point guard Xavier Johnson has been incredible the past eight games, averaging 18 points and seven assists, and Mike Woodson has the backcourt depth he needs with Trey Galloway and Rob Phinisee finally healthy. Lay the points.