The Texas Longhorns are off to a solid start in Shaka Smart’s third season in Austin. Texas might be 6-2, but the two losses were against two of the best teams in the country and it has some quality wins on its resume already this year. The Longhorns have scored wins over Butler and VCU and those will definitely help them out in March. Texas gets a chance to add another notch to its resume on Tuesday night when it hosts the Michigan Wolverines.
This war on the floor will go down Tuesday, December 12, 2017, at 9 p.m. ET at the Frank Erwin Center in Austin, Texas. The game will be televised live on ESPN2. We'll have NCAA basketball odds at BookMaker.eu available for this and every game on the college basketball Tuesday schedule.
Opening College Basketball Odds at BookMaker.eu
There hasn’t been much rest for the Wolverines. Michigan has already played 11 games this season and has faced a slew of big name opponents. Right now, the team is flying high after a dramatic come from behind victory over UCLA on Saturday. The Wolverines were as down by as many as 15 points against the Bruins, but came back to force overtime and eventually got the win. To make things even sweeter, Michigan bettors received an early Christmas gift as the Wolverines managed to cover the seven-point spread in the extra frame.
Texas is undefeated in regulation this season. The Longhorns two losses were both in overtime of the Phil Knight Invitational and came at the hands of Duke and Gonzaga, both teams that will be in the top ten in the next AP poll. Defense has been the key to all of Smart’s teams, but the under is just 2-2 this season. One of those losses was only because a game went to overtime though while the two games that finished under fell short of the total easily.
Key Stat
Michigan and Texas are two of the worst free throw shooting teams in the country. The Longhorns were one of the worst teams in the country last season, hitting just 65 percent of their freebies, and are even worse this year. Texas is sinking just 61.1 percent of its chances from the charity stripe and that nearly cost them in Smart’s homecoming against VCU last week.
The Wolverines haven’t been much better and the drop off from their numbers last year has been dramatic. In 2016, Michigan was one of the best teams in the country at the free throw line, knocking down 77.9 percent of their free throws. This season, that number has plummeted to 61.5 percent and that almost killed them against UCLA. Michigan went 8-22 from the line against the Bruins.
Player to Watch
Mohamed Bamba has been one of the most exciting freshmen to watch this season. Bamba was one of the top recruits in the country last year and has lived up to the hype thus far.
It’s easy to get excited when you watch him. He is a seven-footer that practically glides all over the floor and his 7’9 wingspan makes him an absolute nightmare to shoot over.
Bamba is averaging a double-double this season and is hitting over 50 percent of his field goals. Those numbers are solid, but where he has really excelled is on the defensive end of the floor. He is averaging four blocks a game and is consistently forcing opponents into bad situations. If he can stay out of foul trouble, he’ll be a monster as the year goes on.
Free College Basketball ATS Picks
Neither one of these teams is particularly great on the offensive end. However, Texas is fantastic defensively and that will be the difference in the end. Look for the Longhorns to force Michigan into mistakes and tough shots all game long and get the victory.
College Basketball Odds: Texas 65, Michigan 60
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