Texas vs Xavier March Madness Betting Preview

The Sweet 16 will conclude Friday with Texas vs Xavier from Kansas City, Mo. The game will tip off at approximately 9:45 p.m. on CBS, with the winner advancing to the Midwest Regional final against either top-seeded Houston or No. 5 seed Miami.

Texas Longhorns: Longhorns Resilient in Comeback

Texas outlasted No. 10 seed Penn State 71-66 in the round of 32, albeit not without a scare. After extending their lead to 11 early in the second half, the Longhorns were outscored 28-16 over the next 12-plus minutes to fall behind 56-55. The Big 12 champions trailed by as many as three points before Dylan Disu took over late to send Texas to its first Sweet 16 since 2008.

In a consolation to some, Penn State hit a backdoor cover of +5.5 when the Nittany Lions’ Seth Lundy was fouled taking a relatively meaningless 3-pointer with 5 seconds left. Lundy made the shot and the ensuing free throw to pull within 69-66.

Disu finished with 28 points and 10 rebounds. Sir’Jabari Rice added 13 points.

Texas stepped up defensively, holding Penn State under its season average of 72.2 points. Bucknell transfer Andrew Funk, who went off for eight 3-pointers in a first-round upset of seventh-seeded Texas A&M, was just 2-of-10 from beyond the arc.

At +850, Texas now has the fourth-best odds of winning March Madness behind Alabama, Houston, and UCLA. Houston is currently the even-money favorite to win the Midwest Regional — Texas is next in line at +175 — but that could change should All-American guard Marcus Sasser remain on the college basketball injury report.

Xavier Musketeers: Xavier’s Offense, Feeling It

Xavier is potent with the ball. We knew this. Most did, anyway. In case anyone needed a reminder, the Musketeers displayed their offensive might in thumping 11th-seeded Pittsburgh 84-73 in the round of 32. The Musketeers shot 47.6% from the field and hit 80 points for the 23rd time this season.

Six of the seven players who saw action scored in double figures, led by forward Jack Nunge with 18 points. Colby Jones flirted with a triple-double before finishing with 10 points, 14 rebounds and seven assists. Adam Kunkel added 15 points on five 3-pointers.

It was an encouraging bounceback after the Musketeers struggled to put away 14th-seeded Kennesaw State in the opening round. Xavier rolled into the break up 48-34, pushed its lead to 20 points in the second half and comfortably covered the 5-point spread. This is Xavier’s first trip to the Sweet 16 since 2017.

While Xavier has played well of late, with eight wins over its last 10 games since Feb. 18, it remains a+3000 longshot to win the NCAA title.

Handicapping The Game

Texas vs Xavier should feature a healthy amount of scoring. Both teams have combined to average 158.9 points per game, 11.4 over the game’s total. Xavier ranks seventh in adjusted offensive efficiency, per KenPom, while Texas sits 15th.

Xavier is led by UTEP transfer Souley Boum, who is averaging 16.5 points on 44.2% shooting. While the Musketeers lost some of their punch in the frontcourt when Zach Freemantle went down with a season-ending foot injury, they’re still plenty dangerous inside thanks to Nunge.

The 7-foot big man is a unicorn of sorts, shooting 40.2% from 3 (39-of-97) while recording 7.7 rebounds and over one block per game. The Musketeers are shooting 39.1% from deep as a team (fourth in the country), but combined to go just 10-of-36 against Kennesaw State and Pittsburgh.

With Marcus Carr, Timmy Allen and Rice, Texas has high-level guards to match Xavier’s weapons. The Longhorns have scored 80 points or more 13 times, including 81 in a first-round win over No. 15 seed Colgate, and rank top 40 in field goal percentage at 47.09. They’re one of the hottest teams going at the moment, with six consecutive wins. That includes a 76-56 victory over Kansas in the Big 12 Conference Tournament final.

The Longhorns are 7-3 against the spread over their last 10 games, which may come in handy if you’re contemplating a wager on Texas vs Xavier. The Musketeers are 5-5 ATS over that same period. (Odds change frequently, be sure to check for the most up to date changes.)

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