Dean Etheridge
It’s the No.2 seeds against the No.3 seeds when the Texas Longhorns meet the Xavier Musketeers in Kansas City on Friday night. Who will win the showdown and take their place in the Elite Eight? Here we take a look and attempt to answer that question in our free NCAAB betting picks.
- What; NCAA Tournament, Men’s Basketball, March Madness – Sweet 16
- Who; Texas Longhorns (2) vs Xavier Musketeers (3)
- Where; T-Mobile Center, Kansas City, Missouri
- When; Friday, March 24th, 2023
- Tip Off; 8.45 pm ET
Betting to win the 2023 NCAA Tournament
There’s not much between these two teams in terms of seeding, but when it comes to the odds given by the best college basketball betting sites to win the competition, there is a huge gulf between the two teams. The Longhorns are +750 to win March Madness, while the Xavier Musketeers are +4000.
The Texas Longhorns have long been regarded as one of the favorites to win. And that is still the case as Rodney Terry’s side are the third favorites in the outright winner betting. While the Musketeers are riding in the second carriage with all the outsiders.
Elsewhere in the betting, it’s the Alabama Crimson Tide leading the way with the best March Madness betting sites. The Crimson Tide are just +325 to win the end of season tournament, with the Houston Cougars next at +400. After the Longhorns, it’s UCLA at +850, and Connecticut at +950..
Creighton comes next at +1000, then Gonzaga at +1100, and Tennessee are +1200. These make up the eight favorites in the betting.
A wide open fight to win the MidWest Region
In the betting to win the MidWest Region, it’s the Houston Cougars who lead the way ahead of Texas. The Cougars are -105, with Texas next at +195. Xavier are third favorites at +600, with Miami FL bringing up the rear at +800.
Those odds suggest that this region is far from a foregone conclusion, and seem to be indicating that all four remaining sides are still in with a chance of progressing to the Final Four. Afterall, they are four of the five top seeds. So far only the No.4 seeds, Indiana, have been dumped out of the competition. The Hoosiers went down 85-69 to the Hurricanes on Sunday.
(5) MIAMI IS GOING TO THE SWEET 16 👏
The Canes down (4) Indiana 85-69 to keep dancing! #MarchMadness pic.twitter.com/miids87qn4
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) March 20, 2023
Texas vs Xavier Betting
The Longhorns are also favorites to win this match on the night. On the moneyline, Texas is -180, with Xavier at +160, both with BetOnline.
The same sportsbook is also giving the Musketeers a +4 points start on the handicap line (both sides are -110). While the total points spread is 148.5. Over 148.5 points is -115, with under 148.5 at -105.
Below we have odds from more sportsbooks included in our odds table. More information about these betting sites can be found on our top-rated US sportsbooks reviews page.
| Texas vs Xavier; 2023 Sweet 16 |  |  |  |
| Xavier | +160 | +160 | +160 |
| Texas | -180 | -180 | -180 |
| Xavier (+4) | -110 | -110 | -110 |
| Texas (-4) | -110 | -110 | -110 |
Who’s the in-form team?
Although the Longhorns are favored to win, they are not overwhelming favorites. This could in part be down to their similar records. The Longhorns are 28-8 this year, Xavier are 27-9.
In the regular season Texas had a 23-8 record. This saw them finish second in the Big 12, where they boasted a 12-6 conference record. They are currently on a six-match winning streak.
The Xavier Musketeers also finished second in their conference. Only Marquette bettered Xavier’s 15-5 conference record in the Big East. The Musketeers are currently on a winning streak of two, having lost 65-51 to Marquette in the Big East Tournament.
Here at March Madness, the Longhorns defeated Colgate 81-61 in the First Round, and they followed that up with a five points win over Penn State in the Second Round.
The Longhorns raced into an eight points lead (31-23) at half time. But they did have to withstand a spirited fightback from the Nittany Lions in the second period, who eventually only went down by a scoreline of 71-66.
Texas beats Penn State 71-66 to advance to the Sweet Sixteen🤘#MarchMadness pic.twitter.com/TOg5NY8vii
— On3 (@On3sports) March 19, 2023
As for Xavier, they labored to 72-67 win over Kennesaw in the First Round. The State Owls were 43-36 up on the Musketeers at the halfway point. But the No.14 seeds couldn’t hold out for the win, and they were eventually ground down by Xavier who managed to secure their place in the Sweet 16 with a five points win.
Their Second Round performance was far improved, as they beat the No.11 seeds, Pittsburgh 84-73.
(3) XAVIER IS OFF TO THE SWEET 16 ⚔️
The Musketeers will keep dancing after defeating (11) Pitt 84-73!#MarchMadness pic.twitter.com/QufcE7zPas
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) March 19, 2023
The bulk of the damage was done in the first half, where Xavier were 48-34 up. It was always going to be a long way back for the Panthers from there.
We’d have to conclude that it’s the Longhorns who go into the Sweet 16 in the better form.
Our Pick
Based on the Musketeers First Round showing this would be an easy call to make. But their win over Pittsburgh was impressive, and that makes calling this one not as easy as it might have been.
We have picked the Longhorns as one of our teams to watch to win the competition though. And as well as being one of our two remaining picks (Alabama being the other), the Longhorns are in better form. This could be a close one, but we’re sticking with Texas to win, and we’re going with them to cover the spread.
