Wednesday night features an intrastate battle of top-25 Big 12 teams as the No. 9 Texas Longhorns (22-7, 11-5) take on the No. 22 TCU Horned Frogs (19-10, 8-8). The Horned Frogs will host this one at the Ed & Rae Schollmaier Arena, with tipoff scheduled for 9:00 pm ET.
The Horned Frogs are the slight favorites in this one playing at home. They are -140 to win, while the Longhorns’ moneyline sits at +116. The spread features Texas as 2.5-point underdogs (-110), and the over/under for total points is 149.5 (-110).
Longhorns Look To Bounce Back On The Road
The Longhorns come into this one having lost their last game 81-72 against the No. 7 Baylor Bears. Now, they will look to get back in the win column on the road, where they are just 4-5 on the year.
Offensively, Texas has been one of the best teams in the nation as they rank 20th in scoring, averaging 79.2 points per game. On the road, though, that number drops to an average of just 70.3.
They are led in scoring by senior guard Marcus Carr, who is averaging 16.8 points, three rebounds, and 4.1 assists per game. Other contributors for the Longhorns include Sir’Jabari Rice (12.1 points, 3.4 rebounds), Timmy Allen (10.9 points, 5.6 rebounds, 3.4 assists), and Tyrese Hunter (10 points, three rebounds).
On the defensive side, the Longhorns rank 129th in the country, allowing opponents an average of 68.8 points per game.
TCU Looks To Avenge Earlier Loss
This will be the second time that these two teams have matched up. Back on January 11, the Longhorns won on their own court 79-75 over TCU. Now, the Horned Frogs will look to repay the favor as they host Tuesday’s contest. They will need another strong performance at home, where they are 12-4 this season.
In the loss, Emanuel Miller and Mike Miles combined for 37 points, while Damion Baugh added nine points and 10 assists. These three have led TCU’s offense all season as Miles is averaging 18 points, Miller is averaging 12.7 points and 6.4 rebounds, and Baugh is averaging 12.6 points, 4.3 rebounds, and six assists.
As a unit, the Horned Frogs rank 55th in the nation in scoring, averaging 76.1 points per game. Defensively, they rank 89th in the nation, allowing 67.6 points per game to opponents. They are even more solid at home, where they are allowing just 62.9 points per game.
Take The Longhorns And The Points
Texas comes into this one having gone just 2-4 against the spread in their last six games. In their last nine against TCU, they have gone 8-1 straight up and 6-2-1 against the spread.
As for the Horned Frogs, they are just 2-5 both straight up and against the spread in their last seven games. With that being said, they are 15-4 in their last 19 home games.
This one should be an epic battle of Texas schools. Just like the first matchup, expect this one to stay tight throughout. For that reason, the best value in this one is taking Texas and the 2.5 points (-110).
