Texas Longhorns vs. TCU Horned Frogs Picks, Predictions, Odds

The Texas Longhorns won seven straight games against the TCU Horned Frogs ahead of last year's Big 12 Conference Tournament. It looked like Texas would make it eight straight victories after taking a 40-22 lead into halftime, but the Horned Frogs buckled down on defense in the second half. The Longhorns could only score 20 points in the second half, allowing the Horned Frogs to come all the way back and get the win.

Texas will look to avenge that defeat when it hosts TCU on Wednesday, January 11, 2023, at 9 p.m. ET on ESPN2 from the Moody Center in Austin, Texas.

Texas Longhorns vs. TCU Horned Frogs Betting Prediction

There were doubts about Texas after the university parted ways with head coach Chris Beard last Thursday in the wake of a domestic violence allegation. Rodney Terry stepped in as the interim coach and did his best to keep the Longhorns on the right track with a 10-point road win over Oklahoma State last Saturday, and now Texas will look to knock off in-state rival TCU in a battle between ranked teams. Texas should be favored in this game, and the Longhorns are worth playing as long as they are an eight-point favorite or less by the college basketball betting odds.

Score Prediction: Texas 77, TCU 66
Best Bet: Texas -6.5 (-110)

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Texas Longhorns vs. TCU Horned Frogs Betting Odds

Texas Longhorns vs. TCU Horned Frogs Betting Resources

Date: Wednesday, Jan. 11, 2023
TV-Time: ESPN2, 9:00 p.m. ET
Venue: Moody Center
Location: Austin, Texas
Matchup
Expert Picks

Big 12 Championship Odds

Texas Longhorns vs. TCU Horned Frogs Betting Stats

Texas Longhorns
SU: 13-2
ATS: 6-9
O/U: 8-6-1
PPG: 82.3
OPPG: 65.1

TCU Horned Frogs
SU: 13-2
ATS: 8-6-1
O/U: 9-6
PPG: 78
OPPG: 63.5

Straight Up (SU), Against the Spread (ATS), Over-Under (O/U)
Points Per Game (PPG), Opponents Points Per Game (OPPG)

Texas Longhorns Betting Analysis

Currently, Texas is ranked eighth according to Ken Pomeroy's ratings. The Longhorns are well-balanced with a top 20 offense and a top 20 defense, and about the only thing they don't do well is get to the free throw line. Their only two losses were in overtime against Illinois in early December and at home against Kansas State last Tuesday that was the highest scoring game in Big 12 history that ended in regulation.

Senior Marcus Carr joined the program from Minnesota two years ago. Carr leads Texas with 17.7 PPG as he is having a very effective season as a shooter. He didn't hit more than 40% of his field goals or threes in any of his four previous collegiate seasons, but Carr is sinking 46.8% of his field goals and 44.6% of his threes. Additionally, Carr leads the team with 4.2 APG.

Tyrese Hunter is the only other rotation player on Texas that is making over 30% of his threes. Hunter is converting on 32.4% of his triples, while every other player averaging more than 5.0 PPG is hitting under 30% from downtown. Timmy Allen is averaging 10.7 PPG and 5.7 RPG, and freshman Dillon Mitchell is complementing him well with 7.7 PPG and 5.3 RPG.

Texas is great at forcing turnovers on defense with pressure. While it's not quite the HAVOC defense we saw under former coach Shaka Smart, it's more controlled, and that has helped make Texas more efficient on both ends of the court.

TCU Horned Frogs Betting Analysis

Defense is always the name of the game under Jamie Dixon. TCU's defense is ranked 26th in efficiency according to Pomeroy, and the Horned Frogs are very good at turning opponents over. They only struggle on the glass with offensive rebounds, as Eddie Lampkin is the only player receiving significant minutes that is taller than 6'7.

Mike Miles Jr. is the leading scorer on the roster, averaging 19.8 PPG. Miles is sinking over 53% of his field goals on the season, and he is one of TCU's go-to players along with Emanuel Miller. Miller is averaging 13.5 PPG and 6.3 RPG, and he is the most efficient scorer on the roster. To this point, Miller is nailing 56.7% of his field goals and 47.6% of his threes. Damion Baugh is the only other player averaging more than 10.0 PPG, and he is the playmaker in this offense with 5.0 APG.

TCU really struggles from beyond the arc. The Horned Frogs are only making 29.7% of their threes as Miller is the only player hitting better than 35% from downtown. They get an inordinate amount of their shots blocked, and they struggle a bit from the free throw line. That will keep them from knocking off Texas.