Mizzou a slight favorite vs. Texas in key game for March Madness hopes
Published:
Mizzou Arena will play host to a game on Saturday night that could have major implications on the NCAA Tournament field.
Texas (15-9, 6-5 SEC) travels to Columbia to face Mizzou (17-7, 7-4) in a game between 2 teams firmly on the NCAA Tournament bubble. According to early odds from FanDuel, the Tigers are a 1.5-point favorite in the game. The total was set at 152.5.
Mizzou is 10-14 against the spread this season, though it has covered the number in back-to-back games. Texas is 14-9 ATS with 5 ATS victories in its last 6.
Saturday’s contest will pit 2 of the SEC’s hottest teams of late against one another.
Texas has won 3 straight and 6 of its last 9, a stretch that includes a road win at Alabama and a 16-point demo of Vanderbilt at home.
Mizzou, meanwhile, has also won 3 straight. It beat Texas A&M in the closing seconds on Wednesday night to score a massive résumé-boasting road win. The Tigers lost 4 of 6 from Jan. 10-27, but have rebounded nicely to force their way back onto the bubble.
RELATED: There are a number of incredible Missouri sports betting promos available to new users. Hit the link and sign up with your shop of choice before the Tigers tip against the Longhorns.
As of publication, ESPN’s Joe Lunardi projects Mizzou to be the last team into the field of 68. Texas is also on the cutline as 1 of the last 4 teams in. If the result knocks the loser below the cutline in Lunardi’s view, the SEC would be a 10-bid league. Most believe that’s where the league will land on Selection Sunday.
Missouri currently sits 57th in the NET ranking. It has a 3-4 record in Quad 1 games and a 3-3 record in Q2 games. Texas, at 38th in the NET, would represent a Q2 victory for Mizzou. If the Longhorns beat the Tigers, they’d pick up their fifth Q1 victory of the year.
Tip-off is set for 8:30 p.m. ET on ESPN2.
Derek Peterson does a bit of everything, not unlike Taysom Hill. He has covered Oklahoma, Nebraska, the Pac-12, and now delivers CFB-wide content.
