Dean Etheridge
The Texas Longhorns will be looking for their eighth win of the season when they face Rice Owls on Monday night. Here we look ahead to the game and tell you what we think is going to happen in our latest NCAAB betting picks.
- Match; Texas Longhorns vs Rice Owls
- Where; Moody Center, Austin, Texas
- When; Monday, December 12th, 2022
- Start Time; 8 pm ET
The Longhorns are second favorites to win the NCAAB tournament in 2023 with the best college basketball betting sites, and this despite losing their first match of the season just a few days ago.
Houston still leads the way, but even they’ve seen their odds drift slightly on the back of a disappointing 71-65 home defeat at the hands of Alabama last weekend. The Cougars are now +800, having been +750 before the loss.
ANOTHA #1 BITES THE DUST!!
ROLL TIDE ROLL!!! pic.twitter.com/79TlwTiDRv
— Alabama Men’s Basketball (@AlabamaMBB) December 10, 2022
The Longhorns are next at +1200, with Kentucky, Connecticut and Baylor, all close behind on +1400. On the back of their magnificent win, Alabama are now into +1600, and they are starting to look like a team to be reckoned with.
The above odds are taken from Bovada. For more information including Bovada’s latest new customer offer, please check out our Bovada sportsbook review. For more betting on the 2023 NCAA Basketball championship, please check out our odds table below.
| NCAAB Tournament Winner Betting 2023 |  |  |  |
| Houston Cougars | +800 | +800 | +800 |
| Texas | +1200 | +1200 | +1200 |
| Baylor | +1400 | +1400 | +1400 |
| Kentucky Wildcats | +1400 | +1400 | +1400 |
| Connecticut | +1400 | +1500 | +1500 |
| Arizona | +1600 | +1550 | +1600 |
| Alabama | +1600 | +1600 | +1500 |
| Purdue | +1800 | +2000 | +2000 |
| Gonzaga | +2000 | +2000 | +1800 |
Longhorns bounce back from defeat with heavy win over Arkansas
The Longhorns are currently midtable in the Big 12, and will be looking to get another winning run going again following their unfortunate loss to Illinois last week. Texas were 6-0 going into that matchup, and despite Illinois having a ranking of 17, the number two ranked team would have still expected to win on their own patch.
The match did require overtime, and it was one of those matches that could have gone either way in regulation time – hence why I called it unfortunate. The Longhorns didn’t seal the deal when they had their chances though, and that was the end of their 100% winning record for this season.
The defeat spurred the Longhorns on to an 88-43 over Arkansas last weekend. This was more like what we’re used to from Chris Beard’s team. It was a great way to bounce back from a disappointing defeat, and the win sees them go 7-1 this season.
Texas wins! 🤘#HookEm pic.twitter.com/VkOEqOPYb4
— Texas Men’s Basketball (@TexasMBB) December 10, 2022
Road troubles for the Owls
As for the Rice Owls, the Division 1 side is 6-2 this season. They haven’t played since the previous weekend, so they should come into this match fresh. Their last outing was an 83-71 win over the Bobcats at the Strahan Arena. The win was their fifth in a row, and crucially, their first on the road. The Owls other five wins this season have all been at home.
In total, Rice has played away three times. In their opening match they lost 106-67 to Pepperdine, and they then lost 81-46 away to Middle Tennessee in their third match of the season. Finally, they won their third road trip, in the victory over the Bobcats we’ve just referred to.
The two road defeats were huge though, margins of 39 and 35 points. So with form like that on the road, what chance does Scott Pera’s team have when they visit Texas?
Longhorns vs Rice Betting Odds
According to the best NCAA college betting sites, not much. BetOnline is giving the Owls a start of +26.5 points on the handicap line, and as of yet, there are no odds for the moneyline.
Starting with the lead of +26.5 points, the Owls are -110. The Longhorns are also -110, starting from -26.5 points.
On the total points spread, the marker is 143. Both over and under 146 is -110.
Longhorns vs Rice Owls Betting Picks
The form, the odds, and just about anyone with an opinion on March Madness betting says the Rice Owls shouldn’t be any match for the Longhorns. This match isn’t a case of will the Longhorns win, it’s a case of can they beat the handicap?
I have to admit, I was expecting more than 26.5 points. The Owls were smashed in their two road trips earlier this season, and that was by Pepperdine and Middle Tennessee, so you have to ask what could the Longhorns do to them?
Admitted, the Rice Owls have found some form lately, and that along with the recent defeat suffered by Texas is probably what is influencing the handicap spread.
I’m looking at the troubles that Rice has had on the road though, and for me that means the only call I can make is a win for the Longhorns on the handicap.
As for the over and under market, Texas has been under 143 in three of their last five matches, and two of those totals were well under (131 and 121 points). As for the Rice, they’ve been over 143 on three occasions, bang on the mark once, and under on one occasion.
In all of those matches, both sides have contributed heavily to the scoring. But I’m not sure how many points the Owls will score against the Longhorns. So, on this occasion I’m going for under 143 on the total points market.
