Texas vs Oklahoma Betting Odds – Sooners no match for Texas in the post
NCAA Basketball Odds: Pick Texas |
Online betting players have watched Texas stumble a little over the last couple of weeks, but there’s nothing like a rivalry game to get your head back in order. The Longhorns will head to Norman this Saturday to face an Oklahoma team that is slumping badly, and they have injuries to boot. The Sooners aren’t a big game to begin with, and the Longhorns will batter them in the post on their way to a comfortable win.
| WHAT: NCAA basketball betting |
| WHEN: Saturday, February 6, 4:00 PM ET |
| WHERE: Lloyd Noble Center, Norman, OK |
KEY STAT: Texas has won seven of their last eight against Oklahoma |
The No.9 Longhorns (19-3, 5-2) ended a two-game skid on the road with a 72-60 win at Oklahoma State, but Texas has lost three of their last five overall. The Sooners (12-9, 3-4) have disappointed this season, dropping three of their last four, and the 63-46 loss at Nebraska may have been their lowest point of the season. Even though the “Red River Rivalry” is mainly for the football teams, it definitely extends to the hardcourt.
Offensive Matchups: Texas vs Oklahoma Betting Odds
Texas is second in the country in points scored, and they got an unlikely contribution in the win over Oklahoma State as freshman Jordan Hamilton came off the bench to drop 27 points on the Cowboys. Fellow frosh Avery Bradley has gotten most of the attention this year, but Hamilton is proving to be a dangerous weapon off the pine. One major problem, though: Texas is 320th from the foul line.
The Sooners couldn’t muster anything against the Cornhuskers, shooting 34.9% from the field. Leading scorer Willie Warren is limping along on a sprained ankle, and even though he played against Nebraska, he probably should have sat. The Sooners are small, and led by Warren, if they’re not knocking down their jumpers, they’re in big trouble.
Betting Edge: Texas
Defensive Matchups: Texas vs Oklahoma Betting Odds
The Longhorns are 156th in points allowed, but they’re 17th in field-goal defense. With Dexter Pittman and Damion James in the post and Bradley on the perimeter, the Longhorns are a very tough defensive team, but Pittman has regressed since Texas hit the Big 12 portion of their schedule.
One reason that sportsbook players are staying away from Oklahoma: simply put, they’re horrible on defense. The Sooners are 236th in points allowed, 216th in field-goal defense, 295th in three-point defense….the list goes on. The Sooners’ injury woes certainly doesn’t help their lack of depth, either.
Betting Edge: Texas
Coaching Matchup: Texas vs Oklahoma Betting Odds
Rick Barnes should still have the Longhorns as a top-2 or top-3 seed in the Tournament, and he’s hoping they learned some lessons during their recent slide, mainly that as a top team, you have a target on your back. Barnes also has to do a better job of getting Pittman involved.
Jeff Capel can’t get his kids to focus on defense, and the injuries aren’t helping. Oklahoma is very, very small in the post, outside of “Tiny” Gallon, and he’ll have to devise a scheme to keep Texas from running wild in the paint.
Betting Edge: Texas
Betting Prediction: Texas vs Oklahoma Betting Odds
The Longhorns have won seven of their last eight against their rivals, and two of their last three in Norman, although they did lose 78-63 at Oklahoma last year. The difference was that those Sooners had Blake Griffin, who went on to be the No.1 pick in the NBA draft. There’s no Griffin this year, and his brother Taylor is gone as well. This should give Texas full license to have their way in the post, and if Pittman is going to break out of his slump, this is the game to do it. Texas should roll.
Washington’s Pick: Texas
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