The Texas Longhorns host the No. 21 Georgia Bulldogs on Saturday afternoon in an SEC college basketball matchup. The game tips off at 1:00 p.m. EST in Austin, Texas.
The Bulldogs are listed as 10.5-point favorites on DraftKings Sportsbook with the total set at O/U 156.5 points. Below is my full preview, prediction and pick for this SEC college basketball matchup.
Georgia vs. Texas prediction, preview
It has been a strange start to SEC play for Texas. The Longhorns opened with an overtime loss to Mississippi State, lost to Tennessee, then pulled off back-to-back wins over top-20 teams, Alabama and Vanderbilt. It looked like they were on the right path, at least until losing back-to-back games against Texas A&M and Kentucky. It has been all-or-nothing from Sean Miller’s squad so far. It is Miller’s first year in charge of the program, so he is still trying to find a level of consistency. However, Texas has shown that it can compete on the highest level when playing at its best. The Longhorns are elite on the offensive end of the floor, but struggle on the defensive end, which is why they are so hard to predict outcomes for on a game-by-game basis.
Mike White’s squad has gotten off to a solid start to SEC play. The Bulldogs are 4-2 in conference, with one of those losses coming in overtime to Ole Miss. However, they enter this game on a two-game winning streak, which includes a top-20 win over Arkansas. This team loves to push the pace and get into track meets. Few teams in the nation can score with Georgia, so it has no problem making other teams try to play catch-up, rather than getting into half-court battles. The Bulldogs are led by three guards, who are all averaging over 11 points per game. That trio loves to get out in space and get easy transition buckets.
Georgia vs. Texas pick
My best bet for this game is for Texas and Georgia to go over the listed total of 170.5 points. There is not a team in the country that pushes the pace harder than Georgia. The Bulldogs rank first in the nation in adjusted tempo. Subsequently, the Bulldogs also lead the nation in points per game with 94.8 this season. Meanwhile, Texas struggles on the defensive end, ranking 106th in defensive rating. The Longhorns are not going to be able to slow down Georgia’s remarkable scoring ability, which means they will need to try to keep up. Texas can score with anyone, ranking 16th in the nation in offensive rating. This has all of the makings of a track meet, and both teams should get into the upper 80s in Austin on Saturday afternoon.
