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Virginia Tech vs Texas Odds, Lines and Spread

Chris Wassel

by Chris Wassel in College Basketball

Updated Dec 19, 2022 · 3:26 PM PST

Virginia Tech's Keve Aluma shooting a free-throw
Virginia Tech's Keve Aluma (22) takes a foul shot in the first half of an NCAA college basketball game against North Carolina during semifinals of the Atlantic Coast Conference men's tournament, Friday, March 11, 2022, in New York. (AP Photo/John Minchillo)
  • Texas is currently a 1.5-point favorite over Virginia Tech on Friday afternoon in an NCAA Round One Game
  • The winner advances to play the winner of Purdue versus Yale in an East Region second round game
  • A look at the Virginia Tech vs Texas odds and matchup can be found below with a prediction

Making its fifth tournament appearance in the last six years , Virginia Tech clashes against Texas in a Round One game at 4:30 p.m. ET, Friday, at Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. This game will be shown on TBS.

Texas (21-11) is seeded sixth for this first-round tournament game from the East region. They are also ranked 25th in the nation despite losing three straight games to end the season including a conference tournament loss to TCU of all teams.

Virginia Tech vs Texas Odds

Team Moneyline Spread Total
Virginia Tech +100 +1.5 (-110) Over 123.5 (-110)
Texas -120 -1.5 (-110) Under 123.5 (-110)

Odds as of March 17th at Caesars Sportsbook. See available Caesars Sportsbook promo codes.

 

Texas is a 1.5-point favorite and, at -120 on the moneyline, has an implied win probability of 51%.

Virginia Tech is located in Blacksburg, Virginia (23-12) is again making its fifth appearance in the Big Dance since 2017. The Hokies even upset Duke to win their conference tournament. Their last NCAA tournament win came in 2019 as the Hokies advanced to the Sweet 16.

The winner gets a date with either #3-seed Purdue or #14-seed Yale on Sunday. The Hokies are +2500 long shots in the East Region Final Four odds and are not expected to get very far. Texas is just +1250 in contrast.

Virginia Tech Betting Outlook

Virginia Tech has triumphed in five of its last seven games against the spread and is 19-16 overall against the number in 2021-22.

Senior forward Keve Aluma, paves the way for Virginia Tech with a 15.8 point-per-game average. He is also shooting 53.4% from the field and playing 30.8 minutes per game. Those minutes have been consistent as Aluma has played 30+ minutes in 11 of his last 12 starts.

Against Duke, Aluma continued his consistent play with 19 points despite attempting just eight shots. He went 6-for-9 from the foul line as the Hokies upset the Blue Devils to win the ACC Conference Tournament.

Aluma scored at least 18 points in all four tournament games which included ten rebounds and seven assists versus Duke.

The victory in the ACC championship game was aided by Virginia Tech’s persistence and pressure of the Blue Devils. They found ways to win including a one-point win against Clemson which arguably should have been a loss.

It was all about that balance as the Hokies ran away from North Carolina in the semifinals to win by 13. Then, they did the unthinkable beating Duke by 15 on a neutral court.

The senior small forward play for Virginia Tech is something to look at for the Hokies. New Jersey native Justin Mytts can play almost any position when needed.

Mutts just plays the game hard. It sounds cliche but the forward can play any position and can almost be a post up or point-forward depending on the situation. He only had six points in the conference final of the ACC Tournament. However, the Clemson and Notre Dame games saw Mutts carry the Hokies defensively with ten rebounds in each game. He had five blocks in those two games also.

Texas Betting Outlook

Texas has seen its fortunes slide a bit as they lost three games to end the season while dropping six straight games against the spread. Considering how low the spread is (-1.5) for the contest on Friday and there has to be concern.

The Longhorns are led by their “senior five”. The two forwards and three guards are not outstanding by themselves but each have stepped up at times throughout the season. Their leading scorer is Timmy Allen who average 12.3 points and 6.5 rebounds per game this season.

Timmy Allen went for 16 and 9 against TCU in a losing effort during the opening round of the Big 12 Conference Tournament. The forward scored 15 or more points in five of the last nine starts.

After that this is where things become a bit problematic for Texas. They were getting clutch efforts earlier in the season but the three-game losing streak saw them fail late in each contest. Even the games against Baylor and Kansas were winnable until near the end.

The fact that their two senior guards barely manage double digits per contest is troubling. What may be worse is this. Texas shot 40.7% or worse in five of their final six games. From three-point range, they shot a solid 36.4% in their final two games (22 attempts each) but were just 57% from the foul line against TCU.

Texas could not hold an 18-point lead in this game as the perimeter shooting went cold and the turnovers mounted. When TCU started to play more of a pressing style, the Longhorns and their “senior five” wilted in the pressure.

It is that second half which may speak volumes on Friday.

Allen and the guards are capable of getting hot but the problem is they can get cold just as quickly.

Virginia Tech vs Texas Prediction

The game will likely be close throughout as pace of play should be relatively even.

However, Virginia Tech has the ability to close games out and that makes the difference on Friday afternoon. The best March Madness betting strategy here is to lay the points with the Hokies.

The Pick: Virginia Tech -1.5 (-110)


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