— Friday, March 18th Virginia Tech Hokies @ Texas Longhorns
One of the more intriguing matchups on Friday pits No. 6 seed Texas Longhorns (21-11) against No. 11 Virginia Tech (23-12). The Longhorns stumbled down the stretch with three straight losses while the Hokies stormed through the ACC Tournament to earn an automatic berth. Friday’s game tips off at 4:30 p.m. ET at Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, airing on TBS.
These programs have never met. The Hokies are 6-6 in first-round games, including a loss to Florida in overtime last year, and they are 8-12 all-time in the NCAA Tournament. Texas is 35-38 all-time in the tournament, including five straight losses dating back to the 2014 round of 64.
Longhorns Strive on Defense
Texas is 12-20 ATS this season with six straight losses against the spread, and the under is 18-14 in their 32 games. They are 5-8 away from home and went 8-2 in non-conference games with losses to Gonzaga and Seton Hall. The Longhorns lost to TCU in the Big 12 Tournament and also lost to Kansas and Baylor to close the regular season.
Texas ranks ninth in the nation in scoring defense at 59.5 ppg, and they allow just 41.2% shooting from the field. Offensively they rank 244th overall at 68.6 ppg, and they shoot 44.3% from the floor. Texas has struggled from 3-point range on the season, shooting 32.25 and allowing 31.6% on the defensive end.
Timmy Allen leads Texas in scoring at 12.3 ppg and rebounding at 6.5 per game. Marcus Carr is also in double figures at 10.9 ppg while Andrew Jones averages 10.7 ppg. Courtney Ramey is the only regular player that shoots over 33% from the season, and he checks in at 35.6 with 47 makes on the season.
Hokies Streaking Into Tournament
Virginia Tech is 18-16-1 ATS on the season, and the under is 18-16-1 in their 35 games. They are 12-8 away from home, including a 5-2 record on neutral floors. The Hokies went 8-3 in non-conference games this season with losses to Xavier, Memphis, and Dayton and wins over Maryland and St. Bonaventure.
Virginia Tech ranks 18th defensively at 61.3 ppg, and they allow 42.5% shooting. Offensively they rank 214th at 69.6 ppg but are a good shooting team at 47% from the field. The Hokies rank sixth in the nation at 3-point shooting (38.8%) and allow 32.7% from deep.
Virginia Tech has scored 72 points or more in four straight games, and they beat three straight tournament teams in the ACC Tournament. They scored 87 against Notre Dame, 72 against North Carolina, and 82 in the title game win against Duke.
Keve Aluma leads the Hokies with 15.8 ppg, and he has scored at least 19 points in four straight games. Justyn Mutts averages 10.1 ppg and leads the team with 7.4 rpg while shooting 67.1% from the field. Hunter Cattoor averages 10.0 ppg and is coming off a career-high 31 points in the win over Duke as he made 7-of-9 from 3-point range.
Betting Analysis
- Texas Longhorns -1 (-110). Money Line -115
- Virginia Tech Hokies +1 (-110). Money Line -105
- Total Points 125.5 Over -110. under -110
These teams finished the regular season going in opposite directions, with Texas losing four of six and Virginia Tech winning seven of eight. The Hokies’ offense has been heating up down the stretch while Texas has topped 70 points just twice in the last six games. This game is not likely to be high-scoring given the defensive pedigree of both teams, but ride the hot team into the next round.
Betting Pick: Virginia Tech Money Line (-105)
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