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College basketball’s best game on Tuesday night is the No. 24 Oklahoma Sooners shipping down to Austin to take on the No. 5 Texas Longhorns in a key Big 12 battle.
Oklahoma (9-4, 5-3 Big 12) got a huge 75-68 win over Kansas last Saturday, led by 22 points from sophomore guard De’Vion Harmon. OU outrebounded one of the top teams in America 36-26, and made 18-22 free throws to seal the victory. The Sooners only turn it over on 14.7% of possessions, one of the ten-lowest rates in college basketball, and enter on a three-game winning streak in what might be the best conference in the sport.
The Longhorns will be without their head coach Shaka Smart who has tested positive for COVID-19. Add to that questionable status for UT freshman forward Greg Brown, as well as rotation players Kai Jones and Brock Cunningham. All three missed a 82-67 win over Kansas State last Saturday. Texas (11-2, 5-1 Big 12) ranks in the Top 16 nationally in both adjusted offensive and defensive efficiency, and allow opponents an assist on just 35.7% of field goals, the second-best rate in America, showing they force teams to make difficult baskets.
Game Time/TV Channel/Streaming
You can watch Oklahoma vs. Texas on Tuesday, January 26th at 9:00 p.m. ET on ESPN2, or you can watch via the ESPN app with a cable or streaming service login. If you don’t have a cable login to access the app, you can get a free trial from YouTube TV, Hulu with Live TV, AT&T TV Now, FuboTV, or Sling TV to stream it.
Point Spread, Totals, Odds, Trends
Point spread: Texas -5
Point Total: 143
Money line: Oklahoma +180, Texas -225
- OU is 6-1 ATS in their last seven games, with the under hitting in eight of the last 10.
- UT is 2-5 in their last seven vs. the number, and the over has hit in six straight.
The Best Bet
It’s really tough to win back-to-back games against Top 10 teams, and Texas might be a bit motivated without their head coach. This is a tough one to handicap because emotion and preparation are hard to gauge, but if Texas has Greg Brown we’ll ride with them to pull away in Austin.
Pick: Texas -5
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