The Syracuse Orange will take a huge step up in competition as they hope to keep their undefeated record intact against the Texas Longhorns in the opening round of the Legends Classic at the Barclays Center on Thursday night.
The Orange have struggled to squeeze out close wins against much lesser opponents, which is why I’m taking the Longhorns to cover in my Syracuse vs. Texas predictions and free college basketball picks for November 21.
Syracuse vs Texas prediction
My best bet
Texas -11 (-110 at bet365)
My analysis
The good news for the Syracuse Orange is that it is 3-0 to start the season. The bad news is just about everything we’ve seen on the court from the Orange.
Syracuse beat the Le Moyne Dolphins by four, the Colgate Raiders by two, and needed double overtime to get past the Youngstown State Penguins. This doesn’t sound like the resume of a team headed to a showcase early season tournament, let alone March Madness.
Syracuse has been particularly poor on defense. Even adjusted for a relatively fast pace of play, KenPom.com rates the Orange 174th in the country in defensive rating, and they have allowed 72+ points to each of their first three opponents. There haven’t been consistent scoring options on offense, either, though junior guard J.J. Starling (21.3 ppg) did break out for 38 against Youngstown State.
The Texas Longhorns (3-1) opened with a loss to the Ohio State Buckeyes but have won three straight since. The Longhorns are coming off an impressive 89-43 blowout of the Mississippi Valley State Delta Devils on Saturday.
Texas has been a far more balanced team than Syracuse, rating as a Top 30 program on both offense and defense according to KenPom. Tre Johnson is an absolute star, as the freshman has put up 23.5 ppg on 58.9% shooting — including a blistering 58.6% from 3-point range — to start the year.
But it’s the Texas defense that may give Syracuse the biggest problems. Texas has held each of its last three opponents to fewer than 60 points. None of those teams were world-beaters, of course, but the Syracuse offense isn’t anywhere in the realm of elite, either.
The Longhorns are holding opponents to just 35.8% shooting in the early going, and that’s likely enough to stop the Orange from turning this into a shootout — especially considering how poorly they shoot from beyond the arc.
Even if Syracuse puts in a decent offensive performance, it will be almost certain to give up far more points to Johnson and the rest of the Texas lineup. Unless a completely different Orange team shows up tonight, Texas should have their way with them in New York.
Syracuse vs Texas same-game parlay
Texas -10.5
Under 156.5
Tre Johnson 20+ points
Texas should dominate this matchup on both ends of the court, so I’m attacking two somewhat negatively correlated bets for my parlay.
Along with taking the Longhorns to cover the spread, I’m also taking the Under. Syracuse’s totals this year look a bit higher than they should be thanks to its double overtime game, while Texas has been shutting down inferior offenses — and the Orange are far from elite in that area.
Meanwhile, Syracuse has been giving up plenty of points even to unremarkable mid-major opponents, so I expect the Longhorns to score a bit here. The biggest beneficiary will be Tre Johnson (23.5 ppg), who has scored at least 18 points in every game this season.
Johnson will be able to fill the stat sheet, so I’m taking him to hit 20+ points tonight.
Learn how to bet a same-game parlay with these helpful tips and strategies.
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Syracuse vs Texas odds
Syracuse vs Texas live odds
Syracuse vs Texas opening odds
- Spread: Syracuse +8.5 | Texas -8.5
- Moneyline: Syracuse +392 | Texas -534
- Over/Under: Over 154 | Under 154
Odds courtesy of bet365
Syracuse vs Texas betting trend to know
Syracuse is 0-5 ATS over its last five games overall. Find more college basketball betting trends for Syracuse vs. Texas.
How to watch Syracuse vs Texas
| Location: | Barclays Center, Brooklyn, NY |
| Date: | Thursday, 11-21-2024 |
| Tip-off: | 7:00 p.m. ET |
| TV: | ESPN2 |
Syracuse vs Texas key injuries
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