Virginia Tech vs. Texas Odds
| Virginia Tech Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+1 -110 | 123 -110o / -110u | +100 |
| Texas Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-1 -110 | 123 -110o / -110u | -120 |
The most fun thing about the first few rounds of the NCAA Tournament is the clash of styles between two teams at radically different points in their trajectories.
This matchup epitomizes that idea.
Texas has the potential to play great basketball, but has had its issues gelling a new coaching staff and a roster loaded with transfers.
Virginia Tech, meanwhile, is currently playing great basketball, cresting at the right time with an ACC Tournament championship that earned the Hokies their ticket to the Big Dance.
Sportsbooks have essentially deemed this battle of potential versus peaking as a toss-up, with either team liable to alley-oop a first-round win into a run into the second weekend.
Virginia Tech Hokies
One of the most dangerous 11 seeds I can think of in recent memory, no team in the nation is hotter than the Virginia Tech Hokies.
After struggling to put it all together in the regular season by ending with a 23-12 record (11-9 in the ACC) and going into the ACC Tournament with the 7 seed, the Hokies’ offense came alive in an explosive run capped with an ACC title and a March Madness bid.
They are one of the most efficient perimeter teams on both ends, play at one of the slowest tempos in the nation and are getting hot at exactly the right moment.
Virginia Tech can bury you in a hurry. The Hokies have high-percentage shooters lurking all over and are consistently looking for the most efficient shot from 3.
What they lack in size down low they make up for in adding more shooters on the floor, and they have Keve Aluma for additional versatility in the post.
Not only do the Hokies shoot extremely efficiently, they also take away the perimeter for opposing offenses. They were third in the ACC in opposing perimeter shot percentage, smothering the 3-point line at the sacrifice of more looks down low.
While nearly every team the Hokies play will have a size advantage against them, it has shown to be for naught, as the Hokies can will themselves around it.
The Hokies have gotten hot at the right time and are a sleeper with serious run potential.
Texas Longhorns
By Doug Ziefel
Everything may be bigger in Texas, but when teams play the Longhorns, their offensive output gets much smaller.
Texas is one of the best defensive teams in the country — it ranks 13th in adjusted defensive efficiency — and is tremendous at turning defense into offense by causing turnovers. Texas has the 14th-highest defensive turnover percentage among D-I programs.
The big question mark for the Longhorns entering the tournament is whether or not they will bring their offense with them. They have plenty of offensive talent, with Timmy Allen and the backcourt duo of Marcus Carr and Andrew Jones.
We have seen Texas go shot-for-shot with Kansas on two occasions, but there are also times when it can go cold, and no amount of defense can supplement it.
Texas is a team with upside in the tournament, as its defense can carry it past elite opposition. But the Longhorns will be heading home quickly if they are unable to produce on offense.
The Hokies are a team that has hit their stride on both ends of the floor. They will be a good first test for Texas.
Virginia Tech vs. Texas Betting Pick
Texas was a ticking time bomb this year with so many moving pieces that new head coach Chris Beard would need to figure out by March. In the process, it has been an up-and-down season.
When the Longhorns click, they look like a Final Four team. When they don’t, a first-round exit is fully on the table.
In recent weeks, the latter has seemed more likely. Texas hasn’t beaten an NCAA Tournament team away from home since January. In fact, that win at TCU was the Longhorns’ only victory over a team in the field of 68 on the road or a neutral court.
So much of the Longhorns’ fate rests on Carr. Is he the star that was promised from the transfer portal? Or is he a high-volume shooter who fails to make winning plays?
If Carr isn’t efficient, that leaves the door plenty open for a Hokies team that doesn’t make mistakes and will pounce on your miscues. As long as Virginia Tech is getting points here, it is the right play.
