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Texas vs. Colgate: 2023 NCAA Tournament Best Bets & Picks

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March Madness is officially here! The 2023 NCAA Tournament Bracket has been announced, and the teams are lining up for the Big Dance. Let’s take a look at the early odds, preview, and predictions for the 2023 NCAA Tournament Round 1 game: Texas vs. Colgate.

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2023 March Madness Odds, Preview & Predictions: Texas vs. Colgate

Texas vs. Colgate Odds, Spread & Match Up Overview

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Texas 2023 NCAA Tournament Betting Preview

If you’re seeking a president for the “could win it all but could also lose in the first round” club, Texas should be a nominee. It was unclear how the Chris Beard saga would impact the Longhorns, and it seems like the impact was undersold. From the time Beard was let go up until March 1, Texas went 15-7 while ranking 21st in the nation, per Bart Torvik. Now that isn’t terrible, but it isn’t the elite level you’d hope for from this Texas squad. Rodney Terry has done a solid job with the position he was thrown into, but there is a reason he was an assistant. Terry coached Fresno State to a tourney appearance in 2016, but he doesn’t have much experience in March otherwise.

That said, Texas is an all-around deadly team capable of making waves in the Big Dance. Ranking in the top 30 in both offensive and defensive efficiency is a solid recipe for success, and Texas is one of the few teams cooking that up. Marcus Carr, Timmy Allen, and Sir Jabari Rice form an athletic three-headed monster for Texas, and it still feels like they haven’t reached their ceiling. Carr and Rice are effective perimeter shooters, and all three players bring plenty of experience to the tournament for Texas. The Longhorns’ fast-paced play and effective interior scoring mean they have the ability to post 100-point games.

This team is two different squads inside and outside of Austin, ranking outside the top 250 in away-from-home play, per Haslametrics. In their one neutral-site nonconference game, the Longhorns fell to Illinois in overtime, so the sample size is small, but this team sometimes seemed cursed, with just one win in its last four tournament appearances. Still, this Texas team is different from Longhorns squads past because of an improved offense. Texas failed to eclipse 60 points only once this season. That is remarkably impressive in a conference such as the Big 12. The Longhorns don’t exactly take great looks, ranking in the bottom 300 in rim-and-three rate, but their athleticism can power them past almost any team in the tournament.

All in all, this team is a big ol’ question mark to me. Seeing Texas cut down the nets in April wouldn’t surprise me, but seeing the Longhorns fall in the first round (again) wouldn’t be shocking, either. Rodney Terry has a tall task ahead of him, so it will be interesting to see if he is able to turn this program’s reputation around.

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Colgate 2023 NCAA Tournament Betting Preview

Colgate does one thing very well: shoot from deep. Ranking first in the nation with a near-41 percent success rate on three-pointers, this offense can light it up. Colgate showed how dangerous it could be when it beat Syracuse 80-68 earlier this season.

Oliver Lynch-Daniels has a silky-smooth shot and has made 50.3% of his three-pointers this season to lead the nation. The Raiders ran their way through the Patriot League with only a single loss on the road by one point. Each of their Patriot League Tournament games resulted in double-digit wins — they’re playing their best basketball at the right time. Even if Colgate isn’t hot from deep, it scores at a top-10 rate from inside the arc and takes care of the ball incredibly well.

Colgate’s glaring weakness is its defense, which ranks outside the top 200. But the Raiders rebound well and are great at avoiding fouls. A matchup against a defensive-based team that depends on the dribble drive and getting to the charity stripe offensively might be a recipe for a Colgate upset.

Texas vs. Colgate 2023 NCAA Tournament Predictions

Do not overlook Colgate in this matchup that should feature plenty of fireworks. The Raiders are ultra-efficient on the offensive side of the court, averaging nearly 80 PPG and leading the nation in 3PT% while ranking 9th in 2PT%. They are not quite as proficient defensively, but they do defend without fouling – sending opponents to the line at the second-lowest rate in the country. Meanwhile, the Longhorns also average nearly 80 PPG and shoot a very respectable 54% from inside the arc. Texas will no doubt have the athletic advantage in this game, but they have been prone to early tournament exits no matter who has been in place at HC, and Colgate has given top seeds all that they can handle in recent tournaments. The Raiders will be able to hit enough shots to stay inside this large spread in a game that should have plenty of points scored and present multiple live betting opportunities throughout.

Texas vs. Colgate 2023 NCAA Tournament Picks

Colgate +14 , lean over 146.5

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