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Edgar Chaput
Penn St. vs. Texas Bracket Prediction: March Madness Odds
The Lions (23-13) are considered the underdogs in their matchup with the Longhorns (27-8), although that should be obvious by the seeding each school was awarded (10 and 2). The NCAA odds pit Texas as -5.5 favourites, so expect a relatively close contest. Incidentally, this is the second Texas-based school Penn State faces in a row.
Penn St. Nittany Lions vs. Texas Longhorns NCAA Tournament Point Spread and Betting
We talked about this a little bit in our Penn State vs Texas A&M preview, but the Lions do not fear intensity. One need only look at their statistical rankings this season within the Big Ten. As far as scoring was concerned, they ranked seventh (out of 14 teams) with 72.4 points per game. Defensively, they conceded 68.1, good for eighth out of 14. Even their late regular season contests and two of their conference playoff bouts were filled with drama and back-and-forth action. to their credit, they’ve covered all of their playoff spreads so far.
It’s a different story with the Longhorns. They’re a better scoring team with an average of 77.9 points per tilt, which ranked them first in the Big 12, a famously good division. They aren’t a slouch on the defensive side either, allowing only 67.2 points a game. On the one hand it placed them a solid third in the Big 12. On the other hand, the points scored vs points allowed discrepancy suggests Texas takes care of business emphatically. They too have covered every one of their playoff spreads.
Penn St. Nittany Lions (10)
The First Round battle with Texas A&M was a breath of fresh air for Penn State. After so much drama in many of their earlier challenges, this one was as easy as playoff games are going to get.
From the outset, the Nittany Lions were the superior outfit. They hunted for buckets early and often, pulling away in the first half with a 38-22 advantage when the clubs headed to the locker rooms for a break. Their ferocity from beyond the arc was mesmerizing. 13-for-22 (59.1 per cent) is incredible. Andrew Funk was in anything but, hitting eight of his 10 tries from long range. He led Penn with 27 points, and Jalen Pickett wasn’t too far behind with 19 of his own. The passing was crisper, the shot selection was better, and the defence was sounder. It isn’t often that a team loses the rebound battle (36 to 32) yet wins so easily. That’s just the sort of game it was for Penn State, who move on after a 76-59 final.
Texas Longhorns (2)
The Texas Longhorns were expected to handle Colgate. The way they brushed them aside was a reminder of just how lethal they can be.
For a brief spell, Colgate proved resistant with the score tied 12-12 with almost half of the first period over. But Texas has far too many weapons for a lower seeded team like them to handle properly. Marcus Carr gave another brave performance with 17 points, producing turnovers and taking it to the basket himself. Dylan Disu continued his fine season with 17 points, proving more than once his value on both sides of the ball. The surprise, to an extent, was Sir’Jabari Rice who came off the bench and erupted for 23 points. His 7-for-10 night from distance proved fatal for whatever comeback attempts Colgate aspired to. As the game shifted to the second half, it grew clearer and clearer that the Longhorns were the sharper outfit. It was all bright smiles after defeating Colgate 81-61.
