Big 12 Tournament Betting – Iowa State vs. Texas
by Tim Furious
After losing the faith of Texas fans this season, and a spot in the AP Top-25, the Texas Longhorns have a long mountain to climb if they want to earn the respect of the betting public. With the Big 12 Tournament unleashing its awesomeness on us tonight, Texas can’t allow the Cyclones to sneak up on them.
The win shouldn’t an issue, but clearing the betting line is going to be.
The Longhorns have owned the head-to-head matchup straight up, beating the Cyclones in 7-of-9 games. However, the betting line has belonged to Iowa State which is 6-2-1 ATS in those nine meetings.
Considering how woeful Texas has been as a bet this year overall, do you really feel comfortable banking on them to blow the roof off of Iowa State’s hopes?
Texas is just 1-5 ATS in their past 6 games and were crushed by both Baylor and Texas A&M in the closing week of basketball. The fact that they ended their regular season run with a harrowing loss to Baylor by a score of 77-92 typified how gut wrenching their entire betting season has gone.
Iowa State Cycles (15-16) vs. Texas Longhorns (23-8)
Wednesday, March 10th
Sprint Center --- 9:30pm EST
College Basketball Betting Line: Texas -9 (146.5)
And while Iowa State is just 2-8 SU in their past 10 games, they’re also cruising on a 6-3 ATS streak in the last 9 games. As far as being a reliable bet goes, Iowa State has done a masterful job of rewarding those that decide to stand behind them against the oddsmakers.
Iowa State put themselves on the map with a huge upset over Kansas State, an 85-82 victory that cleared the -15.0 point spread that favored the Wildcats.
While I’m not exactly sure what to expect out of Texas in a tournament, I do see them squeaking past the Cyclones. What I don’t think they’ll do is clear the betting line. When you don’t know much about a team like Iowa State, trust the betting trends.
Their promising performances against Texas in the past, along with their ability to challenge bigger programs with stronger talent, makes them a reliable underdog tonight. Too bad it’ll be the last time you can take advantage of them this season.
