One team will advance to the first round of the 2023 NCAA Tournament, and another will have its season come to an end when two No. 16 seeds - the Fairleigh Dickinson Knights and Texas Southern Tigers - collide in a First Four game on Wednesday at the University of Dayton Arena in Dayton, Ohio. Even though the Knights (17-15) did not win the Northeast Conference championship, they received the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament by virtue of NEC champion Merrimack being ineligible to play in the tournament. Meanwhile the Tigers (12-20) qualified for the field of 68 by winning the Southwestern Athletic Conference Tournament title.

Tip-off is set for 6:40 p.m. ET. The Tigers are favored by 2.5 points in the latest Fairleigh Dickinson vs. Texas Southern odds from Caesars Sportsbook, while the over/under for total points scored is 147.5.

Before making any Texas Southern vs. Fairleigh Dickinson picks or NCAA Tournament predictions, you need to check out the predictions from SportsLine's No. 1 college basketball expert, Larry Hartstein.

A former lead writer for Covers and The Linemakers, Hartstein combines a vast network of Vegas sources with an analytical approach he honed while working for Pro Football Focus. He also has been SportsLine's most profitable college basketball expert. In his last 158 college basketball picks, he has gone 93-64-1, which translates to a 58.9 winning percentage and a $2,265 return for $100 bettors.

Hartstein knows that Texas Southern's Davon Barnes enters the NCAA Tournament on a roll. The 6-foot-5 forward from Memphis averaged 17.3 points per game and shot 61.3% from the field in the three SWAC Tournament games. For the season he leads Texas Southern in scoring (13.6 points per game) and free throw percentage (78.0).

Hartstein also has taken into account that Fairleigh Dickinson has the most efficient offense in the NEC. The Knights average 106.2 points per 100 possessions, according to Kenpom.com, which leads all NEC teams. They also average 77.8 points per game, which also is the best in the conference and ranks 42nd in Div. I.

For Wednesday, Hartstein has set his sights on the First Four and Texas Southern vs. Fairleigh Dickinson. We can tell you that he's leaning Over the total, and he also has discovered a crucial x-factor that makes one side of the spread a must-back. You ABSOLUTELY need to see his pick before locking in any 2023 NCAA Tournament picks of your own.

Who wins Texas Southern vs. Fairleigh Dickinson on Wednesday? And what x-factor makes one side a must-back? ... Join SportsLine now to see who covers in Fairleigh Dickinson vs. Texas Southern, all from SportsLine's No. 1 college basketball expert who has returned $2,265 on his last 158 college basketball picks