2022 NCAA Tournament First Round: No. 6 Texas Longhorns vs. No. 11 Virginia Tech Hokies
How to Watch:
- Date: Friday, March 18
- Time: 4:30 p.m. ET
- Location: Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, WI
- TV: TBS
- Live Stream: NCAA.com
Tale of the Tape:
| No. 6 TEX | STAT | No. 11 VT |
| SEC | Conference | ACC |
| 21-11 | Record | 23-12 |
| 68.3 (280th) | Points Per Game | 70.7 (204th) |
| 59.6 | Points Allowed Per Game | 62.3 |
| 0.5758 (50th) | RPI | 0.5721 (55th) |
| 21st | Strength of Schedule | 64th |
| At-Large Bid | Bid | Automatic Bid |
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Texas leaders:
- Timmy Allen, G, SR: 12.3 PPG, 6.5 RPG, 2.1 APG, 1,3 SPG
- Marcus Carr, G, SR: 10.9 points, 2.0 RPG, 3.2 APG
Virginia Tech leaders:
- Keve Aluma, F, SR: 15.8 PPG, 6.5 RPG, 1.9 APG, 53.4% FG
- Justyn Mutts, F, SR: 10.1 PPG, 7.4 RPG, 3.4 APG, 1.2 SPG, 53.6% FG
Odds, Lines, and Past Performance:
- VT Moneyline: -105
- TEX Moneyline: -115
- Spread: TEX -1
- Over/Under: 123.5
- ATS Record: TEX 12-20, VT 18-16-1
- Over/Under Record: TEX 14-18, VT 16-18-1
Odds courtesy of Draftkings. For the latest odds, click here.
The Pick:
- If you checked out our favorite upset bets in the first round, you know that we like Virginia Tech in this spot after the Hokies finished the season on a 12-2 run and then ran through the ACC tournament, beating Duke 82-67 in the final. Meanwhile, the Longhorns have lost their last three games.
- The Hokies are one of the best three-point shooting teams in the country, ranking 3rd in the nation in three-point shooting percentage, and also take really good care of the ball, rankings 37th in turnovers per game. Those are two things that are important in locking in an upset. However, Virginia Tech is also a deep offense, with five players who can score regularly, which means their offense is less likely to be stalled.
- Chris Beard was tremendous as the coach of Texas Tech and has led the Longhorns to a great defensive season, but the offense is just bland. They shoot it well from the free-throw line and don’t turn the ball over, which means that they have the advantage in a close game, but they don’t have the offensive firepower to keep up with the Hokies if the underdog is able to connect from deep throughout the game.
