NCAAB Pick: Over 142 (-110) at BetOnline (visit our BetOnline Review)
The Red River Rivalry is renewed on the hardwood as part of Saturday’s huge college basketball betting schedule, and we’re exploring stats and trends in search of the value in the clash between Oklahoma and Texas.
Oklahoma Sooners vs. Texas Longhorns
Saturday, February 18, 2023 – 02:00 PM EST at Moody Center
Short of winning the Big 12 Tournament next month in Kansas City, the Oklahoma Sooners will not be showing off their dance moves during March Madness, which will be a bitter disappointment as one of just 2-3 teams from the conference not to be invited.
That doesn’t mean Porter Moser and the Sooners can’t end the season on a good note and hold their heads up high while playing the role of spoiler for some other Big 12 squad, and there’s no team Oklahoma would rather spoil than the Texas Longhorns.
Saturday’s collision on a heavy college basketball picks card comes at a time when the Longhorns could be ripe for an upset following a disappointing upset loss to another conference rival, all while the Sooners are coming off one of their better performances of the season.
Rivalry Notes & Betting Trends
Texas is seeking its second consecutive season sweep of Oklahoma after escaping from Norman with a 70-69 victory back on New Year’s Eve. The Longhorns were favored by 3 at Texas betting sites, and it was the conference opener for both teams.
Oklahoma and Texas really went two-to-toe in that one with the Sooners’ biggest lead being 7 and the Longhorns’ widest advantage being 5. The Sooners outscored the Longhorns 27-12 from 3-point range, but also lost the rebounding and turnover columns.
Last year’s game at Moody Center was a decisive 66-52 triumph for Texas, a game in which the Longhorns took control in the first half and eventually led by as many as 20 before throttling back and still doubling up a 7-point spread.
- After winning the last 4 meetings, Texas has cut into Oklahoma’s advantage in the rivalry which currently stands 57-45 in the Sooners’ favor.
- Underdogs have cashed 9 of the last 10 meetings.
- Totals have split the last four contests played in Austin.
Sooners Last in Big 12 in Scoring
Talk about your hangovers! Oklahoma pulled off one of the bigger upsets of the season – and certainly the most notable upset of the Big 12/SEC Challenge – at the end of January with a 93-69 beatdown of Alabama, then immediately plunged into a 4-game losing streak.
That quartet of losses on the floor was matched by dropping all four games at the window as the Sooners failed to cover the college basketball odds during the skid, and lost each of the contests by at least 10 points.
Moser’s ballers pulled out of that dive earlier this week with a strong 79-65 win over Kansas State. Favored by 1½ at home on Valentine’s Day, Oklahoma busted out of a tie at halftime to take down the Wildcats and win their first Big 12 game in a month.
A 12-0 spurt early in the second half all but decided things in Oklahoma’s favor. The Sooners shot 51% from the field and canned 11-of-23 from beyond the arc. Grant Sherfield filled up his sheet with a game-high 22 points to go with 8 boards and 6 assists.
‘Horns Top Big 12 in Scoring
A trip up to the Texas Panhandle did indeed prove dangerous for the Longhorns just as we warned earlier this week, and it was the kind of defeat that could linger in the back of their minds as one that should have never happened.
Texas Tech took advantage of Texas coming out flat to begin the game, and while the Longhorns did ultimately get back into the swing, their slow start to the second half – and weak finish – cost them sole possession of first place in the Big 12.
Texas closed as a favorite in the 3½-4 range at top sportsbooks, and lost for the second time in three games, and third time in the last six trips to the floor. Give some credit to the Red Raiders and their defense – especially on the glass – in the 74-67 upset.
A Scoreboard Buster in Austin
Expectations are for Texas to be favored by 8 in this matchup, with the scoreboard target sitting somewhere in the upper-130s or 140s. Neither team has been a good cover overall on the season, but the Longhorns have covered their last three at home.
Both teams enter the contest in good health, and while the underdog trend in this rivalry intrigues me, my NCAAB picks will be on the final going past the points total mark.
NCAAB Pick: Over 142 (-110) at BetOnline
*The line and/or odds on picks in this article might have moved since the content was commissioned. For updated line movements, visit BMR’s free betting odds product.
