Texas vs Miami (FL) Prediction, Odds & Best Bet for March 26 NCAA Tournament Game (Expect a High-Flying First Half)

Updated: Sep 10, 5:00pm UTC

Texas vs Miami (FL) Game Info

2022-23 NCAA Tournament Game
No. 5 Texas (29-8) vs. No. 16 Miami (FL) (28-7)
Date: Sunday, March 26, 2023
Time: 5:05 PM ET
Venue: T-Mobile Center -- Kansas City, Missouri
Coverage: CBS

The 2022-23 NCAA Tournament is in its final stretch as the Elite 8 continues on Sunday, March 26. One of two matchups on the day sees the No. 2 Texas Longhorns facing the No. 5 Miami Hurricanes in the Midwest Region finals.

Four Texas players finished with 16-plus points in the Longhorns' 83-71 win over No. 3 Xavier in the Sweet 16. On the other side, Nijel Pack's game-high 26 points on 8-of-12 shooting helped lift Miami past No. 1 Houston in an 89-75 victory.

Will Texas punch its ticket to the Final Four? Or does Miami have another upset waiting in its back pocket?

Texas vs Miami (FL) Odds & Spread

All college basketball betting lines, odds and prop bets are from FanDuel Sportsbook.
Moneyline: TEXAS: (-176) | MIAMI: (+146)
Spread: TEXAS: -3.5 (-118) | MIAMI: +3.5 (-104)
Total: 149.5 -- Over: (-110) | Under: (-110)

Texas enters this contest as a slim favorite on the moneyline and spread per FanDuel Sportsbook's odds. This 5:05 p.m. ET clash also features an over/under of 149.5 points with both sides available at -110 odds.

Texas vs Miami (FL) Betting Trends

Texas has covered the spread 20 times in 37 games.
Against the spread as 3.5-point favorites or more, the Longhorns are 14-13.
Texas has seen 17 of its 37 games hit the over.
Miami (FL) has 21 wins in 35 games against the spread this season.
The Hurricanes' ATS record as 3.5-point underdogs or more is 6-0.
This season, 16 of Miami (FL)'s 35 games have hit the over.

Texas Rank	Texas AVG		Miami (FL) AVG	Miami (FL) Rank
38th	77.9	Points Scored	79.4	21st
94th	67.3	Points Allowed	71.7	232nd
163rd	32	Rebounds	32.5	126th
178th	8.6	Off. Rebounds	9.1	123rd
209th	7.1	3pt Made	7.7	134th
17th	16.1	Assists	14.7	62nd
83rd	10.9	Turnovers	10.7	61st

Texas vs Miami (FL) Prediction & Pick

Miami's win over Houston was impressive, but Texas poses a different challenge. The Cougars simply didn't have the offensive talent to keep up with the Hurricanes, whereas the Longhorns average 77.9 PPG (No. 25) on 47.2% shooting (No. 24). The latter is also shooting 43.8% from the three-point line over its last three games.

Texas has the defensive advantage as well, allowing just 67.3 PPG (No. 82) while Miami surrenders 71.7 PPG (No. 211). That's not even mentioned that the Longhorns force an average of 15.8 turnovers (No. 17) compared to the Hurricanes' 12.4 (No. 166), which has dropped to 10.7 over the previous three outings.

I won't be surprised if this turns into a back-and-forth affair, but Texas' superior defense and high-flying offense will help it seal the deal.

Final Score Prediction: Texas: 81 | Miami: 77

Texas vs Miami (FL) Best Bet

With both offenses looking sharp, I expect to see some early fireworks on Sunday. After all, Miami averages the 10th-most first-half points in the NCAA (38.5) while Texas comes in respectably at No. 37 (36.6). Furthermore, the two sides have averaged a combined 73.7 first-half points through the NCAA Tournament's first three rounds.

A chance to make the Final Four will force the Longhorns and Hurricanes to elevate their game, resulting in the first-half total being easily surpassed.

Bet: First-Half Total — Over 70.5 Points (-112)

Devon Platana is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Devon Platana also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username PepeSilvia0. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in their articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.

Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.