The Texas Longhorns (20-14) and No. 10 Gonzaga Bulldogs (31-3) tangle in a Saturday night NCAA West Region second-round battle in Portland, Oregon. The contest at the Moda Center will tip off at 7:10 p.m. ET (TBS). Let’s analyze NCAA basketball odds around the Texas vs. Gonzaga odds and make our expert college basketball picks and predictions for the best bets.
The 11-seed Longhorns exhibited solid game control in a Thursday first-round triumph over 6 seed BYU after getting into that contest via a First Four win over North Carolina State in Dayton on Tuesday. On Thursday, Texas defeated the -2.5 Cougars 79-71 (Under 157.5). Texas has won back-to-back Quad I affairs.
Gonzaga is the No. 3 seed in the West. The Bulldogs opened tournament play Thursday with a 73-64 victory over Kennesaw State, failing to cover as 19.5-point favorites with the Under (152.5) hitting in a game that was within 2 possessions late. The Bulldogs filed an effective field-goal percentage of 42.1 — their lowest accuracy mark in a single game since Nov. 26.
The Longhorns and Bulldogs have met twice in the last 5 seasons (2021, ’22), with each side claiming a win and covering on home hardwood. The Over hit in both, as well.
Provided by BetMGM Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 3:55 a.m. ET.
Texas is 3-1 ATS in its last 4 road/neutral-site games. Gonzaga is 1-3 ATS in its last 4 games. The Bulldogs are 1-4 ATS in their last 5 neutral-site games.
Gonzaga has been without 6-foot-10 F Braden Huff and his 17.8 points per game since January (knee injury), and over that span the Bulldogs’ efficiency numbers at both ends have trended the wrong way.
Texas gets a lot of its points at the rim and is coming off solid offensive rebounding performances against BYU and NC State. The Longhorns are also the better 3-point-shooting team and are a veteran unit that finds its way to a lot of looks at the foul line.
The Under is 5-2 in Texas’ last 7 games and 4-1 in the Longhorns’ last 5 when tabbed as an underdog. The Under has also cashed in 7 straight Gonzaga games and 5 in a row with the Bulldogs being favored.
Gonzaga’s tempo and free-throw frequency numbers have dropped off considerably in the back third of the season. Texas does get the charity stripe with good frequency, but it plays at a below-average pace. Neither side is dependent on the 3-ball, and both are quite good on the defensive glass, so it doesn’t figure that second-chance points pile up.
Throw all of that onto a neutral floor, and the UNDER 147.5 (-115) has value.
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