March Madness Picks & Predictions for Sunday, March 20, 2011
By Nate Steele
Bet On College Basketball Odds
(The Spread) - Another day of intense NCAA Tournament Third Round action is set to get underway and one of the more interesting matchups involves the Arizona Wildcats and the Texas Longhorns.
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Fourth-seeded Texas, once the top-ranked team in the country, enters play against Arizona with a 28-7. The fifth-seeded Wildcats, the Pac-10 regular season champions, also sport a 28-7 record. Action begins at 6:10PM EST.
Oddsmakers and online sports book Sportsbook.com have listed Texas as a 6-point favorite and the over-under is set at 139. According to the latest trends, the Wildcats are 4-1 against the spread in the last five meetings. The underdog is also 4-1 ATS in the last five meetings. The Longhorns are 5-2 ATS in their last seven games following an ATS loss. The Wildcats are 10-1 ATS in their last 11 vs. Big 12.
Texas won a shootout over Oakland by an 85-81 score in the Second Round to advance, while Arizona was a 77-75 winner over Memphis. The Longhorns and Wildcats have not met since 2003.
March Madness Free Pick: There is a lot of reason to like the Longhorns in this one. Sure, the 6-point spread can sometimes be intimidating but Texas is clearly the better team here. The Longhorns play better team defense than the Wildcats and have proven they can beat the elite as their victory at Kansas earlier this season proves. Texas is a team that had the talent to climb to No. 1 in the nation and should still be considered a national title contender despite some struggles at the end of the regular season. Meanwhile, Arizona has yet to beat a ranked team all season and had trouble disposing of Memphis in its last game. Derrick Williams is a great force for the Wildcats, but beyond him the Wildcats don't stack up. I'm thinking the Longhorns roll.
SATURDAY MARCH MADNESS FREE PICK: TEXAS LONGHORNS -6