The 10-seed Penn State Nittany Lions (23-13) take on the 2-seed Texas Longhorns (27-8) Saturday in the 2nd round of the NCAA Tournament. Tip from Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines, Iowa, is set for 7:45 p.m. ET (CBS). Let’s analyze Tipico Sportsbook’s lines around the Penn State vs. Texas odds as we make our expert college basketball picks, predictions and best bets.
Penn State easily handled Texas A&M 76-59 in the 1st round of the tournament Thursday, covering as a 2.5-point underdog. It is 8-2 in its last 10 games losing both games by 5 points combined. In that span, the Nittany Lions are 7-2-1 against the spread (ATS) to improve to 21-13-2 ATS on the season.
Texas destroyed Colgate 81-61 in the 1st round to cover as a 12.5-point favorite. It has now won 5 games in a row and is 7-3 in its last 10. The Longhorns are 7-3 ATS in that stretch and are 18-17 ATS this season.
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Penn State vs. Texas odds
Provided by Tipico Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 8:30 a.m. ET.
- Moneyline (ML): Penn State +200 (bet $100 to win $200) | Texas -240 (bet $240 to win $100)
- Against the spread (ATS): Penn State +5.5 (-112) | Texas -5.5 (-108)
- Over/Under (O/U): 138.5 (O: -110 | U: -110)
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Penn State vs. Texas picks and predictions
Prediction
Texas 69, Penn State 65
Moneyline
PASS.
At 2.4 times the risk as the return, the moneyline does not present a profitable play on Texas.
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Against the spread
LEAN PENN STATE +5.5 (-112).
The Nittany Lions are 5-0 in their last 5 games, 4-0 in their last 4 games following an outright win, 4-0-1 in their last 5 Saturday games and 4-1 in their last 5 NCAA Tournament games. While they have been streaky this season, they have hit a hot streak at the best time of year and will not go down without a fight.
Penn State is also 8-1 ATS this season during neutral site games while Texas is just 4-3 in such games.
Over/Under
BET UNDER 138.5 (-110).
The Under hit in both 1st round games for Texas and Penn State.
The Under is the Longhorns last 6 games overall, 5-0 in their last 5 games following a ATS win, and 4-0 in their last 4 neutral site games.
For Penn State, the Under is 2-0 in their last 2 games and 5-4 when playing on neutral courts this season. As it stands, 138.5 points would be the 3rd-highest closing line in the Nittany Lions’ last 10 games.
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