Juan Pablo Aravena
The Longhorns made it into the second round of the NCAA Tournament with an 81-73 victory over Virginia Tech, in what was the program’s first March Madness win in eight years. It was a game where every Longhorns starter scored at least 10 points, but now he’ll have a more complex challenge against a Purdue cast that features Jaden Ivey, one of the nation’s best players and ready to make the jump to the NBA. Texas’ defensive ability will determine what happens in this game.
Picks and Predictions for the Texas Longhorns vs Purdue Boilermakers NCAA Basketball Championship Round 2 Game on March 20
- Where: Fiserv Forum – Milwaukee, Wisconsin
- When: Sunday, March 20, 8:40 PM ET
- Betting Line: Texas Longhorns (+3.5) vs Purdue Boilermakers (-3.5)
Texas Longhorns Preview (Seed #6)
- Overall Record: 22-11
- Conference Record: 10-8
- Spread: +3.5
- Over/Under: 134.5
- Moneyline: +140
Texas has a spectacular defense and has sufficient weapons to limit any team on that side of the court. Their win against Virginia Tech suggests that they are a team that could achieve interesting things, but at the same time, it costs a lot against teams that defend in an applied way since they do not have much individual talent on offense. Also, don’t forget that Texas lost its last three games before the start of the NCAA Tournament. While two of those losses were to Baylor and Kentucky, it’s not something that can be so easily ignored.
Purdue Boilermakers Preview (Seed #3)
- Overall Record: 28-7
- Conference Record: 14-6
- Spread: -3.5
- Over/Under: 134.5
- Moneyline: -160
Purdue will rely on two key players to make a difference in this clash, as Jaden Ivey’s offensive input will be key and so will Zach Edey’s dominance in the paint, as Texas simply doesn’t have the physical might to stop it. If there’s one thing that’s certain, purdue wins when it doesn’t fail. He is 20-1 when he hits 48% or more of his shots, and 24-2 when he shoots above 44% from the field. However, he has a 2-4 record when he misses more than 43% of his shots.
Under that prism, it’s worth noting that Texas has kept teams below that mark 22 times and has only allowed teams to shoot at 48% or more on six occasions. The Longhorns’ defense once again looks set to be key, but Purdue has a lot of offensive talent and there’s a reason they come out as favourites for this clash.
JefeBet Prediction
Purdue should take the win in this clash, but it will not be easy by any means. Texas is expected to have an uphill battle on the defensive side and while the 3.5-point spread looks pretty slim, the value is in the over/under for this clash. This match could well trend toward the under.
