The Texas Longhorns broke a late-season slump at the best of times when it got by North Carolina State in a First Four game to earn a No. 11 seed and entry to the first round.
The Longhorns face a team from their old conference, BYU, who has one of the nation’s great players in AJ Dybantsa, a projected top-two pick in the NBA draft after leading the NCAA in scoring at 25.3 points per game.
The Cougars are a slight favorite to advance to the second round.
Texas men’s basketball vs. BYU in March Madness today
The No. 11 Texas men’s basketball team takes on No. 6 BYU in a first-round West Region NCAA tournament game in Portland, Oregon.
How to watch Texas vs. BYU in the NCAA tournament
The Texas vs. BYU game will air at 5:25 p.m. MT/6:25 p.m. CT on TBS on Thursday, March 19.
More: Predicting every Men’s NCAA tournament game using AI
Who does the winner of Texas-BYU play?
The winner of the No. 11 Texas vs. No. 6 BYU game will play the winner of the No. 3 Gonzaga vs. No. 14 Kennesaw State game in the second round on Saturday, March 21.
Texas men’s basketball record
The Texas Longhorns are 19-14.
BYU men’s basketball record
The Brigham Young University Cougars are 23-11.
Texas Longhorns vs. Brigham Young odds
Odds from BetMGM.com: BYU -2 1/2. Moneyline: BYU -140, Texas +115. Over/under 157 1/2.
Texas Longhorns men’s basketball vs. BYU predictions, picks
The Arizona Republic: BYU 77, Texas 75
Jeremy Cluff writes: “The Cougars played well in the Big 12 Tournament before losing to Houston by seven points. AJ Dybantsa will carry BYU to a close first-round win over the Longhorns.”
Dimers: BYU 81, Texas 75
It writes: “After extensive simulations, our model gives Texas a win probability of 41%, while BYU has a win probability of 59%”.
ESPN: BYU has a 63% chance to beat Texas
The site gives the Longhorns a 37% shot at defeating the Cougars in the NCAA Tournament March Madness first-round game.
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SB Nation: BYU 78, Texas 73
Robby McCombs writes: “I also think BYU has turned a real corner on defense the last four games and has found an identity post Richie-Saunders, which includes length on defense and either shooting or offensive rebounding around AJ Dybantsa on offense to complement him. I’ll take BYU in a fairly close game, but I think BYU contains Texas’ offense just enough and UT can’t find enough answers to slow down Rob and AJ.”
ESPN: Pick Texas to win vs BYU in NCAA brackets
Jay Bilas writes: “BYU has the nation’s leading scorer in AJ Dybantsa, but the Cougars can struggle to score beyond him and Robert Wright III. BYU isn’t the same team it was earlier in the year, and I think its seed reflects what it was earlier in the year rather than late. I’m taking a flier on Texas here.”
College Football News: BYU 77, Texas 72
Pete Fiutak writes: “The Cougars will start to look the part. Texas has its own go-to guy in Dailyn Swain, and Tramon Mark is coming off the game-winner over NC State, but the Cougars have a bit more overall talent as long as the starting five doesn’t get into any foul trouble. It’ll stay close late as the Longhorns keep getting to the line and keep making free throws, but BYU won’t buckle late in an entertaining game.”
Bret Bloomquist can be reached at bbloomquist@elpasotimes.com; @Bretbloomquist on X.
This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: Texas Longhorns men’s basketball vs. BYU: TV, odds, predictions