NCAA Tournament: Texas vs Virginia Tech 3/18/22 College Basketball Picks, Predictions, Odds

The Texas Longhorns and Virginia Tech Hokies clash Friday in the college basketball NCAA Tournament First Round at the Fiserv Forum. The Virginia Tech Hokies look to build on their four-game winning streak. The Texas Longhorns look to snap a three-game losing streak.

The Virginia Tech Hokies are averaging 69.6 points on 46.7 percent shooting and allowing 61.3 points on 42.5 percent shooting. Keve Aluma is averaging 15.8 points and 6.5 rebounds, while Justyn Mutts is averaging 10.1 points and 3.4 assists. Hunter Cattoor is the third double-digit scorer, and Nahiem Alleyne is dishing 1.5 assists. The Virginia Tech Hokies are shooting 38.8 percent from beyond the arc and 74.6 percent from the free throw line. The Virginia Tech Hokies are allowing 32.7 percent shooting from deep and are grabbing 30.1 rebounds per game.

The Texas Longhorns are averaging 68.6 points on 44.3 percent shooting and allowing 59.5 points on 41.2 percent shooting. Timmy Allen is averaging 12.3 points and 6.5 rebounds, while Marcus Carr is averaging 10.9 points and 2 rebounds. Andrew Jones is the third double-digit scorer and Courtney Ramey is grabbing 3.5 rebounds. The Texas Longhorns are shooting 2.2 percent from beyond the arc and 75.3 percent from the free throw line. The Texas Longhorns are allowing 31.6 percent shooting from deep and are grabbing 31 rebounds per game.

The Hokies are 12-3 ATS in their last 15 Friday games and 4-1 ATS in their last 5 neutral site games. The Longhorns are 0-4 ATS in their last 4 games as a favorite and 0-6 ATS in their last 6 games overall. The over is 4-1 in Hokies last 5 neutral site games. The under is 7-2 in Longhorns last 9 Friday games.

There could be a hangover for the Virginia Tech Hokies after an improbable win of the ACC Tournament, but we can’t forget this was a arguably a top-25 team before the season started. It just took the Hokies a few months to act like it. The Texas Longhorns have been hit or miss all season long, and their offense can really struggle for long stretches. We’re getting the hotter, more confident team and a free point. I’ll gladly side with the Hokies.