Syracuse vs. Texas prediction, odds, pick for College Basketball
Yesterday at 05:21 PM
Syracuse and Texas meet at the Barclays Arena in Brooklyn New York for the UKG Legends Classic on Thursday night! It’s time to continue our College Basketball odds series with a Syracuse-Texas prediction and pick.
Syracuse is 3-0 on the season but now have their first test of the season as they face a very good Texas team. Recently, Kiyan Anthony, Carmelo Anthony’s son, committed to the Orange as he follows in his dad’s footsteps. That will draw a lot of attention to the Orange in a similar way as Bronny James did for USC last season. Syracuse aims to get back to their glory days but make no mistake, this program is still elite and needs to be taken seriously.
Texas lost their first game of the year to Ohio State in Las Vegas. Since then, they have won three straight and scored 89+ points in all of those games. In their last game, they beat Mississippi State Valley 89-43. Texas now plays in one of the toughest conferences in the sport as the SEC has seven ranked teams with No. 4 Auburn leading the way.
Here are the Syracuse-Texas College Basketball Odds, courtesy of FanDuel
College Basketball Odds: Syracuse-Texas Odds
Syracuse: +8.5 (-102)
Moneyline: +320
Texas: -8.5 (-120)
Moneyline: -420
Over: 154.5 (-110)
Under: 154.5 (-110)
How to Watch Syracuse vs. Texas
Time: 7:00 ET/4:00 PT
TV: ESPN2
Stream: fuboTV (Free Trial)
Why Syracuse Will Cover The Spread/Win
Adrian Autry is now in his second season after taking over for Jim Boeheim. His team is undefeated but they have played in close games. The Orange need to improve on the defensive end if they want to be competitive in the ACC. In three games, they have averaged 88.0 points per game, but have allowed 83.0. Youngstown State took them to double overtime as the Orange escaped with a 104-95 win in their previous game. Before that, they beat Colgate by just two points and then Le Moyne by four in their opening game. Texas will be a much better team than anyone they have faced this season.
J.J. Starling has been sensational for the Orange. He is averaging 21.3 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 3.0 assists per game. He leads an offense that has five players who score in double figures. Eddie Lampkin Jr. is second on the team averaging 15.0 points adding 9.3 rebounds as well.
Why Texas Will Cover The Spread/Win
Tre Johnson is averaging 23.5 points per game on 58.9% shooting this season. He’s been one of the top scorers in the game and is doing it at a very high rate. He scored 29 against Ohio State in the opener and then followed it up with 28 in the next game. Texas dominated their previous two opponents, and as a result, he played fewer minutes. Johnson still scored a combined 37 points. The freshman is also shooting 58% from beyond the arc.
Johnson does a majority of the scoring but the team does have three players who average north of 10 points per game. Arthur Kaluma is second on the team averaging 14.5 points on 63.6% shooting. The senior also adds 7.5 rebounds per game and 2.3 assists. Kadin Shedrick is third a 11.0 points per game and also adds 5.3 rebounds.
Texas averages 89.0 points per game and allows just 60.0 per game.
Final Syracuse-Texas Prediction & Pick
This game will be played on a neutral court. Syracuse, however, should have the home-court advantage as their fans do not need to travel far for a weekday contest. Even with that said, I like Texas to cover this spread. Syracuse won’t be able to stop Johnson offensively and I can see Texas scoring north of 90 points to cover this spread.
Final Syracuse-Texas Prediction & Pick: Texas -8.5 (-120)
The post Syracuse vs. Texas prediction, odds, pick for College Basketball appeared first on ClutchPoints.
