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Edgar Chaput
Xavier vs. Texas Bracket Prediction: March Madness Odds
The challenges of the NCAA tournament’s long road grow only more intense. No more matchups against significantly lower seeds. This is a number 3 versus a number 2, both sides having fully earned their plaudits and ranking.
Texas is a slight favourite, sitting at -4 on the NCAA odds.
Xavier Musketeers vs. Texas Longhorns NCAA Tournament Point Spread and Betting
The Musketeers (27-9) improved their record ATS in this playoff-tournament run to 2-3. Still nothing to write home about, but there are multiple ways to see this. On the one hand, betters who like to benefit from spreads aren’t thrilled with the performances. On the other hand, those who only play the moneyline have had a ball with Xavier throughout their conference and NCAA run. Finally, there is Xavier and its fanbase. They’re just thrilled to be winning.
Then we have the Longhorns (28-8), who have reached the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2008, the same year they had their best finish with a spot amongst the Elite Eight. They’ve been much more dependable against the spread, going 4-0-1. Their only failure was the push that resulted from the win over Penn State in the second round. Prior to that, they have covered six times in a row and seven out of eight.
For the record, these programs have tipped off once in their history. It wasn’t even that long ago, in March 2019 when the Longhorns won in overtime, 78-76.
Xavier Musketeers (3)
In what is becoming a recurring theme in this year’s NCAA tournament, a team claims a sizable point advantage in the first half, then sees the opposition make a bit of a run in the second, but not enough to overcome the deficit. It happened yet again the second round when Xavier and Pittsburgh met.
The first half was a bit of a wash. Even the 48-34 halftime Xavier lead – nothing to sneeze at – flattered the Panthers somewhat. The Musketeers brandished their skill and valour with relative ease, firing an impressive 47. 6 per cent from the field. The discrepancy in assists, 22 to 11, tells us a lot of what we need to know about the contest’s flow. Xavier was often having its way with ball movement, finding open players for easy shots. Once again the Musketeers demonstrated that they don’t have to rely one one guy to push them onward. All five starters notched double digit points, with Jack Nunge’s 18 leading the way. Colby Jones was sensational off the glass, corralling 14 rebounds. Pittsburgh put in an honourable second half effort, but it was never enough. Xavier moves on, 84-73.
Texas Longhorns (2)
Texas saw its grit put to the test by the Nittany Lions in the second round. Their first half lead, 31-23, was much more manageable for Penn State. The latter did a darn good job of almost pulling off the upset.
There’s no point beating around the bush. However deep the Longhorns go in this year’s edition of March Madness, Dylan Disu has been fantastic. He erupted against Penn State for 28 points off 14-for-20 shooting. He just kept making key buckets after key buckets. First half, second half, it didn’t matter. Teammate Timmy Allen was a ruthless rebounder, collecting 12 in total and 10 on the defensive end, which, given the final score, proved critical. Penn State deserve some mention though. They never let Texas fully take over the game. Whenever the favourite delivered a good jab, Penn had something up its sleeve to keep the game tight. It was only when Marcus Carr hit two important free throws in the dying seconds that the Texas faithful could breath easily. Longhorns win 71-66.
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