Texas vs. TCU Feb. 19 Free Pick
Texas and Texas Christian get together on Tuesday evening in a battle between a couple cellar-dwellers in the Big-12 conference. The Longhorns sit 8th in the conference, while TCU is sitting dead last in 10th. Daniel-Meyer Coliseum will play host to these two teams who are looking to gather any sort of momentum prior to the Big-12 conference tournament. Sports books are opening up this game with Texas being five point road favorites over the Horned Frogs.
Free Pick
For Texas, it has been a long and frustrating season for a young nucleus that missed their star player up until this weekend. Myck Kabongo returned to action this weekend after serving a suspension that had lasted the entire season for violating NCAA rules by receiving illegal benefits. Kabongo was thrown into the fire Saturday, making his debut in the Phog against Big-12 leader Kansas. He showed some rust as well, finishing 2-10 from the field for 13 points (9-10 from the line). Kabongo should only improve from here, as he is just a sophomore looking to build on a bright freshman year. Kabongo provides what the Longhorns have been missing all year, which is an offensive-minded player who is capable of getting his own shot. Kabongo’s emergence will slide guys like Ioannis Papapetrou and Sheldon McClellan into secondary roles on the offensive end.
Texas has failed to win a game on the road in the Big-12 this season. Winless in six
opportunities, the ‘Horns’ only real competitive game was a two-point loss to West Virginia. The Horned Frogs do not pose as big of a threat as any of the road foes Texas has faced thus far in the conference, however.
TCU is not a very good basketball team. Ironically enough, their only win in the Big-12 this year has come against conference power Kansas in one of the biggest upsets in college basketball this season. Since the win, the Horned Frogs have dropped three straight by an average of just under 25 points per game. They are powered offensively by Kyan Anderson and Garlon Green, who average 11.2 and 10 points per game respectively, but are quite inefficient in doing so. TCU’s guard-oriented offense is feast or famine and it has proven to be pretty much starving if this year’s results are any indication so far. Texas’ versatility and athleticism on the perimeter from a variety of guards and swingmen will pose as a tough matchup for TCU, who struggle to consistently find an option to feed the ball to on the inside to get a bucket.
Texas is always a tough team to read, especially with Kabongo just working his way back to full-strength. That being said, this team is athletically superior than TCU on the perimeter and also hold an advantage in the size and skill departments on the frontline. Look for Texas to come out motivated by their road record and expect Kabongo to find the going much easier in this one as compared to against Kansas. Five is a fuzzy number for backdoor covers and pushes. Take Texas on the moneyline and feel confident that this one is going to cash.
Free Pick: Texas ML -200