Many might have thought that Shaka Smart and the Texas Longhorns would be sweating on Selection Sunday, but it turns out they had little to worry about. The committee rewarded Texas for playing the nation’s second toughest schedule and gave them a No. 10 seed.
Now Texas has to prove that it deserved to be here despite a 19-14 record and a losing record in Big 12 play. The Longhorns will have a tough test in the Nevada Wolfpack.
This war on the floor will go down Friday, March 16, 2018, at 4:30 p.m. ET at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennessee. The game will be televised live on TBS. We'll have NCAA basketball odds at BookMaker.eu available for this and every game throughout March Madness.
Opening NCAAB Basketball Betting Odds at BookMaker.eu
Texas +1
Nevada -1
Over/Under 143.5
Nevada was the best team in the Mountain West all year and had little to worry about even though it didn’t win the conference tournament. The Wolfpack beat Rhode Island in non-conference play and nearly knocked off both Texas Tech and TCU, two of the top four teams in the Big 12. This was one of the better offensive teams in the country all year and the over is 3-1-1 in their last five.
If the Longhorns didn’t make the NCAA Tournament, Smart was probably out of a job, but he should be fine for at least one more year now. Texas ended the season with a thud, going 4-6 in its last 10, but wins on the road against Oklahoma and at home against West Virginia impressed the committee. Winning away from home has not been easy for Texas this year though. The Longhorns went 6-10 away from Austin on the year.
Key Injury
For Texas to win, Mo Bamba has to be reasonably healthy. Bamba has been the best player on the team, and one of the top players in the nation all season long. He is the embodiment of Smart’s HAVOC defense, flustering opponents with his wingspan. Bamba is the nation’s leading shot blocker and has forced a number of turnovers.
Bamba suffered a sprained toe against Oklahoma State a few weeks ago, and he has not been the same since then. He has played a grand total of 30 minutes over Texas’ last five games and the team has missed his presence. When healthy, Bamba is a double-double machine and has a great low-post game. He can have a big game against Nevada.
Matchup to Watch
Texas has just never gotten it going offensively during Smart’s tenure. This year has been more of the same as Texas has really struggled to score since losing Andrew Jones.
The Longhorns are hitting just 43.8 percent of their field goals this season and are one of the worst three-point shooting teams in the country too. Texas is hitting 31.5 percent from beyond the arc, making the potential return of Mo Bamba that much more important.
Where Texas is weak, Nevada is strong. The Wolfpack have one of the top perimeter defenses in the country, allowing opponents to hit just 31.2 percent behind the three-point line. That only adds to the bad news for Texas.
Free March Madness ATS Picks
Texas’ defense has not been as good as you might think this year. Sure, the Longhorns play in a tough conference, but teams have been able to score on them. Nevada is very efficient on the offensive end, boasting an offense that is one of the best in the nation. The Wolfpack can come at you from a variety of angles, and most importantly, they don’t turn the ball over.
Bamba says he will be fully healthy for this one, but we haven’t seen that yet. With that in mind, I’m going to go with Nevada to get the win and cover the short NCAAB betting line.
NCAAB Basketball Betting Odds: Nevada 73, Texas 68
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