Oklahoma State vs Texas NCAA 2014

OKLAHOMA STATE COWBOYS VS TEXAS LONGHORNS (-4) 


ODDS: BET365 




Tipping off tonight at 7PM EST in the Frank Erwin Special Events Center are two of the best teams in the BIG 12 conference. Oklahoma State is looking to prevent falling back further in the BIG 12 conference standings while the Longhorns aim to extend their unbeaten streak at home to 5 games. Oddsmakers have listed the hometown Longhorns as 4-point favourites for this game with an over/under of 145.5. For this matchup I’m suggesting you ride the hometown favourite and here is why;

This game marks the first of a three game ban that Oklahoma Sophomore Marcus Smart is serving for shoving a fan in the final seconds of their Saturday loss against Texas Tech. Without him in the lineup this Cowboys team should very much struggle. Smart leads the team in points per game (17.5), assists per game (4.3), and steals per game (2.3); making it nearly impossible for another man to fill in for Smarts absence. Unfortunately, the Cowboys and their frustrations only begin with Smart. They find themselves outside of the AP top 25 teams in the nation for the first time all season and haven’t won a game since January 25th. The future doesn’t look very bright right now for a team that was touted as one of the best in the country entering the season.

Look for Texas to secure a victory tonight by doing what they do best, rebounding the ball exceptionally well. They enter this game the best rebounding team in the BIG 12 and 6th best in the entire nation averaging 42.1 per game. This is due in large part to the play of Center Cameron Ridley and Forward Jonathan Holmes. They combine for an average of 15 rebounds per game and together also make Texas the best shot blocking team in the BIG 12. With Oklahoma getting the best of Texas in the first meeting between these two teams this year I fully expect the Longhorns to take advantage of Smart’s absence this time around. They have come a long way since the last time these teams faced off and this time it the Longhorns that find themselves ranked in the top 25 teams in the country.  Expect the outcome of tonights game to show you just why that is.

TRENDS 


OKLAHOMA STATE

• 0-4 against the spread in their last 4 games following a straight up loss
• 24-51-2 against the spread in their last 77 games as a road underdog
• 9-23 against the spread in their last 23 games versus a team with a straight up winning record
• 1-8 against the spread in their last 9 games versus teams win a winning home record