Texas vs. BYU Prediction, Odds, Best Prop Bet for NCAA Tournament 1st Round

The Texas Longhorns squeaked past the NC State Wolfpack and, as a result, have earned a spot in the Round of 64 of the NCAA Tournament.

The Longhorns will take on the six-seed, the BYU Cougars. BYU boasts the top scorer in the country, AJ Dybantsa, so they'll have to find a way to slow him down on Thursday.

Let's dive into the odds and my best bet for this SEC vs. Big 12 showdown.

Texas vs. BYU Odds, Spread, and Total

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Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook

Spread

Texas +2.5 (-115)
BYU -2.5 (-105)

Moneyline

Texas +114
BYU -135

Total

OVER 157.5 (-112)
UNDER 157.5 (-108)

Texas vs. BYU How to Watch

Date: Thursday, March 19
Game Time: 7:25 pm ET
Venue: Moda Center
How to Watch (TV): TBS
Texas Record: 19-14
BYU Record: 23-11

Texas vs. BYU Betting Trends

Texas is 2-6 ATS in its last eight games
The OVER is 5-0 the last five times Texas played a Big 12 opponent
BYU is 4-1 ATS in its last five games
BYU is 0-7 ATS in its last seven games vs. SEC opponents

Texas vs. BYU Best Prop Bet

AJ Dybantsa OVER 1.5 3-Point FGs Made (+128)

AJ Dybantsa has increased his 3-point shot recently with BYU's main 3-point shooter, Richie Saunders, sidelined. Now, he gets to take on a Texas Longhorns team that ranks 301st in opponent 3-point field goal percentage, allowing teams to shoot 36% from beyond the arc. That could lead to Dybantsa having a big game from the perimeter.

Texas vs. BYU Prediction and Pick

Both Texas and BYU's strategies revolve around one player: Texas has Dailyn Swain and BYU has AJ Dybantsa. With that in mind, the smart strategy is likely just to back the team with the better star player, which is the Cougars with Dybantsa, who is leading the country in scoring, averaging 25.3 points per game.

Texas also has plenty of defensive issues, ranking 232nd in defensive efficiency. That's far below BYU, which comes in at 114th in that metric. Texas typically has a shooting advantage over most teams, but that's not the case in this game either. The Cougars are 51st in effective field goal percentage, compared to Texas at 72nd.

I'm going to back BYU as a slight favorite.

Pick: BYU -2.5 (-105)

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