NCAA basketball betting players had Texas in the Final Four until about halfway through the season, when the Longhorns imploded and found themselves without a bye in the Big 12 tournament. The Longhorns will try to begin their quest towards the national crown when they face Iowa State in the Sprint Center in Kansas City on Wednesday.
Texas vs Iowa State odds – Wednesday, March 10, 9:30 PM ET
The Longhorns (23-8, 9-7) fell 92-77 at Baylor in their season finale, and they were sloppy with 18 turnovers, compared to eight for the Bears. Gary Johnson came off the bench to drop 25 points, while Damion James and Jordan Hamilton hit 18 points apiece for the Longhorns, who were 5-of-17 from beyond the arc. The Longhorns fell apart during the second half of the season, and it was due to some poor play form their guards, especially the freshman trio of Avery Bradley, J’Covan Brown and Hamilton, who have been great in parts, but awful in others. The Longhorns will be in good hands next year if that trio learns from this disappointing campaign.
The Cyclones (15-16, 4-12) came away with an 85-82 win in overtime at Kansas State on Saturday, and they did it with a harassing defense. Kansas State shot 34.3% from the floor, including 3-of-23 from beyond the arc, and the Cyclones were in their face for the entire game. Craig Brackins had 19 points and 12 boards, while Marquis Gilstrap also had a double-double with 13 points and 13 boards for the Cyclones, who had to overcome 19 turnovers on the road.
Betting services should have the Longhorns favored in this contest, as they’ve won five straight and eight of their last 10 overall against the Cyclones. Bradley had a great game in the Longhorns’ 90-83 win at Iowa State on January 13th, dropping 16 of his 24 points in the second half, while James was next with 23 points and 14 boards. Gilstrap notched 20 points and 13 rebounds for the Cyclones, who shot 44.8% from the floor. Iowa State’s mission for this game should be to get on the young Texas guards, and force them to shoot outside. If the Longhorns were smart, they would try to ride James to the win, but the Bradley-Hamilton-Brown trio sometimes forget about the senior forward and fall in love with their own shots. If they could only realize that if they got James going, they would be open for more shots as the Iowa State defense would collapse on him. The Longhorns need to get the ball inside and impose their will on the Cyclones.
Bet on March Madness: Texas
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