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.
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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.
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