Texas Longhorns VS Colgate Raiders are on the list of trap matches that will be played during the first round of March Madness 2023. Colgate has just been crowned the Patriot League tournament champions, a conference they led throughout the campaign, where they beat Lafayette Leopards in the last game. Texas, on the other hand, are second in the Big 12 behind Kansas Jayhawks, they won the Jayhawks in the conference final last week Saturday. MatchPlug brings you a preview of the Raiders and Longhorns game, including the Basketball Predictions for this match too. Related: Milwaukee Bucks defeat Phoenix Suns to become first team in play-off place Predictions and Betting Preview for Texas Longhorns VS Colgate Raiders NCAA Basketball Championship Round 1  Venue: Wells Fargo Arena, Des Moines, Iowa When: Thursday, March 16th, 2023 Time: 16:25 GMT Teams to play: Texas Longhorns VS Colgate Raiders.  Expert Picks: SPREAD -1.5 Odds by BetMGM and 1XBet. Betting On The Texas Longhorns Season Record – 26-8 Conference Record: 12-6 1XBet Spread: -13.5 1XBet Moneyline: 1.1 1XBet Over/Under: Over 149.5 BetMGM Spread: -13.5 BetMGM Moneyline: 1.09 BetMGM Over/Under: Under 150.5 The Texas Longhorns finished in 2nd place in the almighty Big 12 Conference, but they didn’t stop there, they also defeated Kansas in the tournament final, finishing as the 7th best team in the nation. These records are definitely strong before facing a powerful team like Colgate. The Raiders had the same overall record as the Longhorns, but they faced less difficult teams than Texas did during the regular round. However, in spite of all the challenges they faced, Texas finished 30th in the nation with 78.8 points scored per game, shooting 47.1% from the field and securing 31.5 offensive rebounds per game. The Longhorns’ defense felt the brunt of playing against tough opponents after finishing outside the top 100 in field goal and long-range shooting defense. For points allowed per game, they gave up 68.7 goals, numbers the same as Colgate’s, which faced easier attacks. Point guard Marcus Carr is the main figure of the Texas Longhorns who led his team in points scored per game with an average of 15.9 and in assists per game with 4.1 too. Betting On The Colgate Raiders Season Record – 26-8 Conference Record– 17-1 1XBet Spread: +13.5 1XBet Moneyline: 7.2 1XBet Over/Under: Under 149.5 BetMGM Spread: +13.5 BetMGM Moneyline: 8.00 BetMGM Over/Under: Over 150.5 There is a chance that the Colgate Raiders may not make it to the second round. But it is also unlikely that they’ll be overwhelmed by their match with the Texas Longhorns today. Despite their opponents being a well-rounded team, the Raiders stayed ahead of their conference for most of the season, finishing as the top team in the nation in long-distance shooting percentage at 40.6%. Colgate finished 2nd position in the circuit in shooting percentage from the field with an outstanding 50.8% scoring 77.7 points per game, the 44th-highest record in the country. Furthermore, they scored over 91 points in two of three games played in the concluded Patriot League tournament. The Raiders have proven to be a fantastic team, however, one problem they have is that they concede as many points as they score to their opponents, which is a lot. This will be a grave offense to commit close to the Longhorns. Texas averaged 69 points per game, shooting 45% from the field, and almost 37% from long distance. Tucker Richardson Colgate’s star player is coming into today’s game as the first Division I player in the past 25 years to record a triple-double in a conference final and led his team with 13.9 points per contest. MatchPlug Prediction  The Texas Longhorns are the chosen favourites for today’s game, thanks to their offensive power and the specific advantages they have under the boards against the Colgate Raiders. Colgate may have a dangerous shot from long range, but they still haven’t been proven against a tougher defense like Texas, which gave up lower than 70 points per game in what was the nation’s toughest conference. In terms of offense, the Longhorns finished amongst the top 50 teams in the nation in field goal percentage and are now facing a team that struggled with their defense throughout the season.  Final Prediction: Texas Longhorns Spread. More Basketball News: Ja Morant suspended for 8 games without pay for detrimental conduct to league

Cleveland State Vikings VS Northern Kentucky Norsemen features two promising NCAAB teams. The match will be happening in Indianapolis. For this preview, we’ll be examining the standings of these two teams, plus their chances of winning or covering the spread in today’s matchup. Don’t forget to visit MatchPlug for more Basketball Predictions surrounding the NCAAB. Predictions and Betting Preview for Cleveland State Vikings VS Northern Kentucky Norsemen Venue: Indianapolis at Indiana Farmers Coliseum. When: Tuesday, March 7th, 2023 Time: 16:00 GMT Teams to play: Vikings and Norsemen   Expert Picks: SPREAD -2.5 Odds by BetMGM and 1XBet. Betting On The Cleveland State Vikings  Season Record – 21-12 1XBet Spread: +2.5 1XBet Moneyline: 2.184 1XBet Over/Under: Over 126.5 BetMGM Spread: +2.5 BetMGM Moneyline: 2.20 BetMGM Over/Under: Under 126.5 The Cleveland State Vikings will play against the Norsemen with a season record of 21-12. Presently, they’ve been the home team 16 times, with a 13-3 record. Cleveland has been the underdog 14 times, going 6-8 straight up.  Tristan Enaruna is the Vikings’ leading scorer for today’s game at 15.38 points per contest. Enaruna has been a vital part of his team’s scoring efforts, but he is also the top rebounder at Cleveland State. Behind Enaruna is Tae Williams whose strong play benefitted the team. Williams is second in scoring 11.0 points per game. Overall, he hit 52.5% of his shots and added 5.94 boards per game. The Vikings walk into today’s game intending to dominate the Norsemen by continuing their powerful offensive play. They average 75.6 points per game. For 33 games, they’ve hit 47.9% of their field goal attempts. In pace, they prefer to slow the game down, ranking 420th in possessions per game. Betting On The Northern Kentucky Norsemen  Season Record – 21-12 1XBet Spread: -2.5 1XBet Moneyline: 1.732 1XBet Over/Under: Under 126.5 BetMGM Spread: -2.5 BetMGM Moneyline: 1.69 BetMGM Over/Under: Over 126.5 The Northern Kentucky Norsemen head into their 34th game of the season today, with a record of 21-12. They would be playing their 14th game of the season, after going 7-7. Kentucky has been the favourites 23 times; 17-6 straight up.  Northern Kentucky will be expecting another outstanding performance from the team’s leading scorer Marques Warrick who averages 19.06 points per game for his team. He is also important to their ability to score on the perimeter. Currently, he leads the team in 3-point shots made. Sam Vinson is another key player in the Norsemen’s plan, he has hit 38.9% of his field goal attempts on his way to averaging 11.38 points per game. The Norsemen have struggled with their offense this season, now ranking 241st in college basketball at 69.9 points per game. Their low-scoring totals are because they have played at a below-average pace, and faced challenges in knocking down outside shots. Northern Kentucky’s 3-point shooting percentage sits at only 34.6%, placing them 207th in the NCAA. MatchPlug Prediction  For today’s game, there are two reasons why the Northern Kentucky Norsemen will win and cover; they have been good vs the spread on the road, scoring 7-3 over their last 10 road games, and they also have the edge in 3-point shooting. The Norsemen’s offense averages 8.75 made 3’s per game, putting them far above the NCAA average. Their advantage from beyond the arc should carry them to a straight-up win.

The Arkansas Razorbacks VS Alabama Crimson Tide matchup has two paths for the teams. On one hand, the Razorbacks get the ultimate opportunity to give their March Madness resume a huge shot in the arm this Saturday as they face off against the Crimson Tide on the road. Will Arkansas defeat Alabama in Tuscaloosa? Or will the Crimson Tide sweep away the Razorbacks? Keep reading this betting preview by MatchPlug for everything you need to know about the game between Razorbacks and Crimson Tide. It has the Basketball Predictions, picks, and odds for today’s matchup. Predictions and Betting Preview for Arkansas Razorbacks VS Alabama Crimson Tide Venue: Coleman Coliseum, Tuscaloosa, Alabama When: Saturday, February 25th, 2023 Time: 11:00 GMT Teams to play: Razorbacks and Crimson Tide Picks: SPREAD -7.5 Odds as seen on 1XBet and BetMGM Betting On Arkansas Razorbacks Season record: 19-9 1XBet Spread: +7.5 1XBet Over/Under: Over 152.5 1XBet Moneyline: 3.76 BetMGM Spread: +8.5 BetMGM Over/Under: Over 151.5 The Arkansas Razorbacks are should play some of the best games they’ve ever done this season if they hope to secure an upset win against the Crimson Tide today. Arkansas were not close to completing this challenge last January at home when they lost to Alabama, 84-69. But, in the games that followed, Arkansas showed that they shouldn’t be taken for granted even by a strong team like Alabama. They scored shots against the Texas A&M Aggies, Kentucky Wildcats, and Florida Gators after their loss to the Crimson Tide. The Razorbacks’ defense can mess up their opponent’s flow for the whole game, as they rank top 20 in the country when it comes to adjusted defensive efficiency and top 25 in opponents’ eFG. The Under is 3-1 in Arkansas’ last four games on the road. Betting On The Alabama Crimson Tide Season record: 24-4 1XBet Spread: -7.5 1XBet Over/Under: Under 152.5 1XBet Moneyline: 1.288 BetMGM Spread: -8.5 BetMGM Over/Under: Under 151.5 Alabama has been noticeably great this season and is arguably the best team in the whole of Division I basketball presently, despite their loss to the Tennessee Volunteers (68-59) in Knoxville last week Wednesday. The Crimson tide gets recognized for its impressive balance on both ends of the course. They are great on offense and defense. The Crimson Tide are top 15 in the USA in adjusted offensive efficiency and top 10 in adjusted defensive efficiency. The first time they met with Arkansas, they shot 54.6 eFG% and held the Razorbacks to just 44.3 eFG%. Alabama went 9/20 from deep, while Arkansas made only two of 10 attempts from the back of the arc, in large part as the Crimson Tide’s defense didn’t give them space to breathe. The Crimson Tide are 6-1 ATS in their past seven home games. MatchPlug Prediction Alabama can watch out for a redoubled effort today from Arkansas, but they won’t fold. The Crimson Tide will find a way to cut through the Razorbacks’ defense at the beginning of the game and force turnovers for transition baskets to build a large lead in the first half. Final Prediction: Alabama spread. Related Preview: NBA Expert Picks: Toronto Raptors vs Detroit Pistons Predictions Tonight

Today’s Purdue Boilermakers VS Ohio State Buckeyes game brings to mind that one time on January 5th when the Buckeyes almost pulled an offset against the Boilermakers in Columbus. The Buckeyes were on the verge of becoming sleepers to make a deep run next month, but since then everything has gone haywire. Ohio hasn’t won a single game since January 21st; they are 11-5 and are a shoo-in having their worst season since the 2003-2004 campaign. Purdue on the other hand will want to use this game as an opportunity to make a comeback after losing to Northwestern and Maryland. A further breakdown of this game by MatchPlug can be found below. We also included some Basketball Predictions and Best Betting Tips Today for the Boilermakers vs Buckeyes match. Related: NCAAB: Central Florida Golden Knights VS Cincinnati Bearcats Predictions Tonight Predictions and Betting Preview for Purdue Boilermakers VS Ohio State Buckeyes Venue: Mackey Arena, West Lafayette, Indiana When: Sunday, February 19th, 2023 Time: 19:02 GMT Teams to play: Boilermakers and Buckeyes Picks: UNDER 138.5 Odds as seen on 1XBet. and BetMGM. Betting On The Purdue Boilermakers Season record: 1XBet Spread: -12.5 1XBet Over/Under: Under 138.5 1XBet Moneyline: 1.11 BetMGM Spread: -12.5 BetMGM Over/Under: Under 139.5 Zach Edey, who is the expected player of the year, has done nothing but play exceptionally for Purdue. Without his influence, the Boilermakers won’t even get a shot at the NIT Tournament. Edey’s numbers are great, but experts still think this team’s strength is overrated. First, Purdue has a -12.80 record luck per Shot Quality. This is after they’ve lost their last two games, so, the numbers suggest they are close to regression. If Edey takes a night off, the Boilermakers should get ready to exit the tournament by March. However, focusing on tonight’s matchup, there are some advantages Purdue brings to the game – the team is 10th in offensive efficiency and 25th in defensive efficiency. Furthermore, Mason Gillis and Fletcher Loyer also boost the team’s winnings. Additionally, the Boilermakers make their free throws; they are 41st in FT%, so utilising the charity stripe has helped them in close contests. With the Buckeyes not being fantastic on defense, Purdue may make a comeback and dominate the offensive end of the court. Betting On The Ohio State Buckeyes Season record: 1XBet Spread: +12.5 1XBet Over/Under: Over 138.5 1XBet Moneyline: 6.60 BetMGM Spread: +12.5 BetMGM Over/Under: Over 139.5 The numbers show that Ohio State is overdue for some positive regression even if its metrics have been bad over the last month. In Shot Quality, Ohio has a +12.46 record luck, suggesting a 2-3 additional win for them. This isn’t much of a shocker, especially since the Buckeyes are 25th in adjusted offensive efficiency. One edge the Buckeyes have in today’s matchup is that they have the required size and athleticism for going toe-to-toe with the Boilermakers. Their offensive strategy revolves around its exceptional forwards – Brice Sensabaugh, Zed Key and Justice Sueing. The Buckeyes’ strength in grabbing offensive rebounds will be vital in this game, as they rank 49th in the country in securing second-chance opportunities. They will try to trap the Boilermakers any chance they get and get Edey into committing a foul too. MatchPlug Prediction The lines opening at Purdue -12.5 isn’t much of a surprise; especially since Ohio has settled into their losing streak and doesn’t seem to be showing any chances of ending it. This is a good opportunity for the Boilermakers, but some experts are taking this game over. Additionally, the Buckeyes may surprise everyone and bring a redoubled effort into the game. Extra odds and picks for Boilermakers VS Buckeyes can be found at 1XBet. More From The NCAAB: NCAAB: Detroit Mercy Titans VS IUPUI Jaguars Predictions Tonight