The Oklahoma Sooners will be looking to solve their road woes when they take on their arch-rival on Saturday evening. Winning on the road is tough, but it’s been especially so for the Sooners, who have looked like a totally different team away from Norman. Oklahoma has lost four straight road games with only the loss to Oklahoma State being close.
Now, they must face the Texas Longhorns and embattled head coach Shaka Smart in what is sure to be a hostile environment. This is the College Gameday Game of the Week, so there will be plenty of fans in burnt orange in attendance. Oklahoma will need to find a way to put those road woes behind them if they stand any chance of winning the regular season conference title.
This war on the floor will go down Saturday, February 3, 2018, at 6:15 p.m. ET at the Frank Erwin Center in Austin, Texas. The game will be televised live on ESPN. We'll have NCAA basketball odds at BookMaker.eu available for this and every game on the college basketball Saturday schedule.
Opening College Basketball Odds at BookMaker.eu
Teams seem to have figured out how to compete with Oklahoma in recent weeks. The Sooners have not just struggled on the road, but at home as well. They were almost knocked off by Baylor and TCU at home over the last few weeks, and OU would have lost to Kansas if not for six straight missed free throws from Udoka Azubuike down the stretch. This team is 1-5 ATS in its last six.
Trae Young is still putting up big numbers, but opponents have been able to limit his teammates. That has led to the under cashing in four of the last five and six of the last eight in Oklahoma games.
Texas has been a real solid team to bet on in recent weeks. The Longhorns have rallied since receiving the devastating news about star Andrew Jones. They have covered the number in six of their last seven games, with the one loss coming at the hands of West Virginia.
Matchup to Watch
It should be pretty phenomenal to watch Young take on this Texas defense. There’s no denying how impressive Young has been, but when you handle the ball as much as he has, you are bound to make mistakes.
Young is leading the nation in points, assists, and turnovers. It’s that latter number that Texas’ defense is going to try to capitalize on.
The Longhorns haven’t been as good as they want to be in turning opponents over this season, but that isn’t going to stop this team from trying. Texas is in the middle of the pack when it comes to turnovers forced.
The Longhorns will bring the pressure against Young and see if they can rattle him. He has had some issues on the road, and that might rattle his nerves coming into this one.
Player to Watch
Mohamed Bamba has not gotten the attention that Young has this season, but he is one of the most elite players in college basketball nonetheless. Bamba has the kind of raw athleticism that teams dream about and has displayed an ability to do it all on the court.
He is the most efficient shooter on the team, hitting 54.6 percent of his shots. Additionally, Bamba is averaging a double-double on the season, and he leads the team in rebounding by a significant margin.
As impressive as those things are, his most important contributions are on the defensive end. He is one of the nation’s leading shotblockers, swatting away 4.4 field goals per game. It will be interesting to see whether or not Texas challenges him on Saturday evening.
Free College Basketball ATS Picks
This will be a short spread one way or the other. Oklahoma will have had one extra day of preparation coming into this one. However, Bamba’s defense will be the difference in a Longhorns victory.
College Basketball Odds: Texas 81, Oklahoma 78
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