Henry Roldán
Among the list of trap games that we will have in the first round of this March Madness 2023 is the one that will be played this coming Thursday: Colgate vs Texas.
The Raiders are coming off being crowned champions of the Patriot League tournament, a conference they led throughout the campaign and where they defeated Lafayette in the final game. Texas, second in the Big 12 behind Kansas, defeated the Jayhawks in the conference final last Saturday.
Without further ado, at JefeBet, we bring you the preview of this Colgate Raiders vs Texas Longhorns interesting game.
Picks and Predictions for the Colgate Raiders vs Texas Longhorns NCAA Basketball Championship Round 1 Game on March 16 2023
- Where: Wells Fargo Arena, Des Moines, Iowa
- When: Thursday, March 16, 2023, 7:25 PM E.T.
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Colgate Raiders Betting Preview
- Overall Record: 26-8
- Conference Record: 17-1
It looks unlikely that we will see Colgate in the second round. However, it also looks unlikely that the Raiders are going to be overwhelmed on Thursday by Texas in March Madness 2023.
Despite the fact that their rival is a much more complete team, Colgate led its conference for most of the season and finished as the nation’s top team in long distance shooting percentage at 40.6%.
They also finished second in the circuit in shooting percentage from the field with a spectacular 50.8% while scoring 77.7 points per game, the 44th highest record in the country. In addition, in the recently concluded Patriot League tournament, they scored more than 91 points in two of the three games they played.
The Raiders’ shortcoming is that as much as they score a lot, they also allow points to their opponents, which is a serious problem to tackle before facing the Longhorns. Their opponents averaged nearly 69 points per game, shooting 45.% from the field, and nearly 37% from long distance.
As for the team’s star player, the most important name for Colgate is Tucker Richardson, who is coming off becoming the first Division I player in the last 25 years to record a triple-double in a conference final and led the Raiders with 13.9 points per contest.
Texas Longhorns Betting Preview
- Overall Record: 26-8
- Conference Record: 12-6
Not only did the Longhorns finish second in the powerful Big 12 Conference, but they also beat Kansas in the tournament final and finished as the seventh-best team in the nation.
These are certainly strong records before facing a Colgate team that had the same overall record as they did, but faced less difficult teams than Texas throughout the regular round.
Despite that, the Longhorns finished 30th in the nation with 78.8 points scored per game, while shooting 47.1% from the field, and collecting 31.5 offensive rebounds per game.
For its part, Texas’ defense felt the rigors of facing tough opponents after finishing outside the top 100 in field goal and long-range shooting defense. In terms of points allowed per game, they conceded 68.7 goals, a figure similar to that of Colgate, which faced less powerful attacks.
The main figure of the Longhorns was point guard Marcus Carr, who led the team in points scored per game with an average of 15.9 and who was also first in assists per game with 4.1.
JefeBet Prediction
The Longhorns enter this game as clear favorites thanks to their offensive strength and a certain advantage they have under the boards against Colgate.
While the Raiders have a lethal weapon from long range, it remains to be seen how efficient they are against a much more competitive defense like Texas’, which conceded less than 70 points per game in one of the nation’s toughest conferences.
On the offensive end, Texas finished within the top 50 teams in the nation in field goal percentage and faces an opponent that struggled to defend throughout the season.
Prediction: Colgate Spread (COL 68 – TEX 78)
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