Play the music! March Madness’ Round of 64 officially tips off today with matchups all across the schedule, so whether you’re tuning in when you can this evening or taking off work to soak in the action, there are games for everyone.
Following a First Four battle, the Texas Longhorns punched their ticket to the NCAA Tournament and now enter the field as a No. 11 seed. On Thursday, they face off against the No. 6 BYU Cougars in a Round of 64 clash between SEC and Big 12 opponents.
To get you ready for this game, we’ve got you covered with a Texas vs. BYU prediction, pick and more on DraftKings Sportsbook ahead of tonight’s contest.
Texas vs. BYU prediction, preview
Texas Longhorns
With a 19-14 record, Texas ended up as one of the last four teams into the March Madness field. The SEC program had to claw its way to a 68-66 victory over NC State in the First Four to get here, but now, there’s a chance this team could make a little bit of noise in the Big Dance. While the No. 11 Longhorns are just 6-9 against Quad 1 teams, there’s a pathway to success as long as the offense is clicking.
The team falls 37th in NETRTG per KenPom at +19.13 and is elite on the offensive side of the floor. The Longhorns’ 82.2 PPG are 33rd most in the nation and they sit 18th in ORTG overall. Efficiency from the field is key with a 47.6% FG% and they come in with a 34.8% 3P% that’s respectable as well. They’re also fourth in free throw rate, too. Playmaking is something of a weaker point with just 11.8 assists and a 1.115 AST/TO ratio, and the attack is largely driven by isolation scoring. Texas’ 37.2 rebounds are far from a poor mark, but the defense does suffer. The unit concedes 76.4 PPG to opponents, though its ranking at 95th in DRTG is better than the scoring mark would suggest.
Dailyn Swain leads the group with 17.7 points, 7.6 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 1.7 steals per contest. He’s the clear lead guy for UT, but Matas Vokietaitis is a nice running mate with 15.5 points and 6.9 rebounds a night as well, shooting 62.0% from the field. Tramon Mark and Jordan Pope also average double-digit points with 13.6 and 13.1 per game.
BYU Cougars
The BYU Cougars are 23-11 overall this season and fell short in the Big 12 Tournament semis to Houston, one of the nation’s top teams. After a very strong first half of the regular season, the second half of the campaign was much weaker. Still, they’re a No. 6 seed and are 7-10 against Quad 1 sides as well.
BYU sits 23rd in the KenPom rankings with a +23.21 NETRTG. The Cougars profile somewhat similarly to Texas in that their offense is elite but the defense somewhat struggles. They average 83.9 PPG and are 10th in ORTG, shooting 47.7% overall and 34.9% from beyond the arc. They’re another unit that doesn’t have standout ball movement with 13.5 assists per game and a 1.237 AST/TO ratio, but the points generally come nonetheless. They pull down 38.3 rebounds per contest, 34th in the country. However, the defense gives up 75.3 PPG and falls 57th in DRTG. Their 4.4 blocks per game rank 29th as well.
The nation’s leading scorer AJ Dybantsa leads the charge for BYU with 25.3 points and 6.7 rebounds per game, also pitching in 3.8 assists. He’s a leading candidate to go No. 1 in the NBA Draft this summer, so plenty of eyes will be on this matchup to judge his performance. Robert Wright III scores 18.2 points per game with 4.7 assists and a 42.2% 3P% as well. Richie Saunders tore an ACL earlier this season though, ending his campaign prematurely and leaving the team without another 18.0 PPG scorer. Kennard Davis Jr. and Keba Keita also play key roles in the rotation.
Texas vs. BYU pick, best bet
On DraftKings Sportsbook, BYU is just a 2.5-point favorite with -135 odds to win outright. Texas is a +114 underdog on the Moneyline with the game total set at a combined 157.5 points.
There are clear pathways to either team emerging with a win in this spot, and with the spread set at just 2.5 points, the margins are quite thin. If there’s any bet that stands out here, it’s over 157.5 points on the combined total. We’re getting a meeting between two of the nation’s highest-scoring attacks and there should be no shortage of points in this one, especially with Dybantsa and Swain going head-to-head. These teams average a combined 166.1 PPG with Texas 19-13 to the over this season and BYU 17-17 in the same split. With the lack of defense on deck, expect a back-and-forth affair, especially with the Cougars 46th in adjusted tempo as they seek to push the pace.
Best Bet: Over 157.5 points (-112)
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