A battle between two Lone Star members of the Big 12 is headline news on this Friday as the TCU Horned Frogs and Texas Longhorns go head-to-head in Kansas City with a chance at the conference final on the line. Join us for our Big 12 Tournament odds series where our TCU-Texas prediction and pick will be revealed for all bettors to see.
Fresh off of a statement 80-67 win over the Kansas State Wildcats, TCU is ready to officially put the rest of America on notice by dismantling Texas later this evening. Serving as the sixth-seed in this conference tournament, the Horned Frogs are eager to continue playing well on the basketball court after rumors of player mistreatment from the coaching staff that have plagued the headlines as of late.
As for the Longhorns, Texas is as exciting as they come. Usually a high-scoring team, Texas found themselves in a defensive duel that resulted in a 61-47 win over Iowa State. Alas, the 47 points given up by the Longhorns were the fewest surrendered by Texas since Jan. 7th, and they would love to play suffocating defense in back-to-back games. Acting as the second-seed in this competitive Big 12 Tournament, can Texas punch their ticket to the championship game on Saturday?
Here are the TCU-Texas college basketball odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
College Basketball Odds: TCU-Texas Odds
TCU: +1.5 (-102)
Texas: -1.5 (-120)
Over: 146.5 (-115)
Under: 146.5 (-105)
How To Watch TCU vs. Texas
TV: ESPN
Stream: WatchESPN
Time: 9:30 ET/6:30 PT
*Watch college basketball LIVE with fuboTV (click for a free trial)*
Why TCU Could Cover The Spread
Having just defeated Texas on Mar. 1st, the Horned Frogs are playing as good of basketball as anyone in the conference at the moment. Even without one of their key, impact players in center Eddie Lampkin Jr continuing to sit out, the Horned Frogs still looked the part against Kansas State where they forced whopping 21 Wildcat turnovers en route to the big-time victory.
Similarly enough, the Horned Frogs need to be pests on defense by keeping Texas uncomfortable and making them take low-percentage shots deep into the shot clock. On paper, Texas is like a high-speed freight train on offense with no means of slowing down, so it will be vital for TCU to contest nearly every shot that the Longhorns take to the best of their abilities.
In addition, the Horned Frogs connected on 11 of their 25 three-point attempts and will need to get hot from beyond distance to make this a ballgame. As a whole, the Horned Frogs are shooting the worst three-point percentage at 30% from deep, so it will be critical for TCU to not revert to their old ways of mediocre shooting from the perimeter.
Why Texas Could Cover The Spread
Competing for a high-seed a week from now in the NCAA Tournament, all betting and even March Madness bracket participants' eyes will be on Texas' ability to impress in a convincing fashion. Since many college basketball analysts have predicted the Longhorns to be a tough out during this Big 12 Tournament, time will tell if that projection will be an accurate statement.
However, so far so good, as the Longhorns were too much for the Oklahoma State Cowboys as Texas held them to 26% shooting from the field while forcing 20 OSU turnovers on the night. Simply put, it was a mind-blowing defensive effort by a Longhorns squad that has shown glimpses of phenomenal defense. Although a repeated effort of this kind of defensive tenacity would be a big help for Texas bettors that are hopeful that the Longhorns have what it takes to cover the spread, it is Texas' offense that has carried them up to this point.
At first glance, Texas may boast the top-overall player on the court on Friday evening in point guard Marcus Carr. Since finding success at the college basketball level relies so heavily on steady guard play, Carr is the perfect catalyst to take the Longhorns to the glory land. Believe it or not, the shifty Carr has been rather quiet of late with only 27 points combined in his previous three games. As a whole, the senior from Ontario is averaging a team-high 16.1 PPG this season and is more than due for a breakout showing in the points department.
Even more importantly, can Texas control the glass in both halves? If the Longhorns can win the rebounding battle, then their chances of covering should only increase.
Final TCU-Texas Prediction & Pick
There is no doubt that both of these don't like each other, as each university is only separated by 187 miles. Simply put, TCU has had a nice run in the tournament up to this point, but Texas will be too locked in to defeat on Friday night.
Final TCU-Texas Prediction & Pick: Texas -1.5 (-120)
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