The No. 7 Nevada Wolf Pack (27-7) go head-to-head against the No. 10 Texas Longhorns (19-14) in the First Round of the NCAA Tournament at Bridgestone Arena. The game is scheduled to begin at 4:30 p.m. ET on Friday, March 16, 2018.
The Over/Under (O/U) for the game opened at 143.5 points with Nevada set as a 1-point favorite.
Texas Longhorns vs. Nevada Wolf Pack Betting Prediction
The Longhorns are hoping for a better outcome after their 73-69 loss to the No. 14 Texas Tech Red Raiders in the Big 12 Conference Tourney. Texas Tech’s 41.9 offensive rebounding percentage was their biggest strength over Texas, who had a rate of 29.4. The Red Raiders’ mark was above their season average of 33.3. Jacob Young was the top scorer from either team with 29 points on 11-for-17 shooting.
In the Mountain West Conference Tournament, the Wolf Pack lost to the San Diego State Aztecs, 90-73. Getting to the free throw line was one of San Diego State’s largest advantages. They made 34 trips to the line, while Nevada went just 17 times. Jordan Caroline had a solid game for Nevada, leading both teams in scoring with 25 points on 9-for-19 shooting.
This battle pits one of the NCAA’s top offenses against one of its elite defensesNevada ranks 39th in effective field goal percentage (0.549), while Texas is 50th in effective field goal percentage allowed (0.479).
Texas holds records of 19-14 straight up (SU) and 15-14 against the spread (ATS). Games involving the Longhorns have a slight tendency to finish under the projected point total (51.7 percent).
Meanwhile, Nevada owns records of 27-7 SU and 15-16-2 ATS. Unlike Texas, Wolf Pack games have a slight tendency to go over the projected point total (51.5 percent).
Jordan Caroline has averaged 21.6 points and 8.6 rebounds over the last five games for Nevada.
Texas Longhorns vs. Nevada Wolf Pack Pick
Free College Basketball Pick: SU Winner – Nevada, ATS Winner – Nevada, O/U – Over
Notes
Betting Notes:
Nevada ranks 23rd in assists per game (16.4) while Texas ranks 261st (11.6).
The Longhorns rank 113th in three-pointers allowed per game (20.8) while the Wolf Pack rank 256th (23.9).
Nevada averages 36.0 rebounds per game, which ranks 120th in the NCAA. Texas ranks 208th in rebounds allowed per game (36.1).
The Wolf Pack are eighth in the NCAA with 4.5 steals allowed per game while the Longhorns are 53rd with 5.4 steals allowed per game.
Texas ranks 24th in blocks per game (5.0) while Nevada ranks 62nd (4.1).
Bettings Trends:
The Longhorns have been outscored by an average of 0.2 points in their last five games. On the season, Texas has defeated opponents by an average of 3.5 points.
During their last five games, the Wolf Pack have scored an average of 83.8 points per game (0.7 above their season average) and allowed an average of 80.2 points per game (7.3 above their season average).
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