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Virginia Tech went from on the NCAA Tournament bubble to the ACC Tournament surprise champion and the No. 11 Hokies look to keep the momentum going when they face No. 6 Texas in first-round East Region action Friday. The Horns are very short favorites on the NCAAB odds.

How to Bet Virginia Tech vs. Texas NCAA Basketball Odds & TV Info

• When: Friday, 4:30 PM ET
• Where: Fiserv Forum, Milwaukee
• TV: TBS
• Stream: https://www.ncaa.com/march-madness-live
• Radio: Tunein.com
• Opening NCAAB Lines: Texas -1 (total 123.5)

Why Bet on Virginia Tech?

The Hokies (23-12) upset regular-season champion Duke 82-67 in the ACC title game on Saturday. Tech probably doesn’t make the NCAA Tournament if it loses its tournament opener to Clemson, but Darius Maddox hit a go-ahead 3-pointer at the buzzer to beat Clemson in overtime. Virginia Tech coach Mike Young said the Hokies were “luckier than hell” after that game.

The seventh-seeded Hokies became just the second ACC team to take the crown with four wins in four days and the lowest-seeded team to win the most-storied conference tournament in college basketball. Hunter Cattoor picked a great time to have the best game of his career. The junior sharpshooter scored 31 points, shooting 7-9 from beyond the arc, in one the most impressive showings a Hokie has ever had in a single game. It was Tech’s first ACC Tournament championship and the program’s first tournament crown since winning the Metro trophy in 1979.

The Hokies, who are on a four-game winning streak, head to the NCAA Tournament for the second time in the Mike Young era. Last season, they were tabbed a No. 10 seed and lost to No. 7 Florida in the first round in Indianapolis. This will be the Tech’s 13th appearance in the NCAA Tournament. It is currently 8-12 (.400) in The Dance.

Seven members of Virginia Tech’s squad have played in an NCAA Tournament game for a combined 284 minutes of action. Keve Aluma and Storm Murphy teamed up at Wofford for an appearance in 2018-19 before Aluma joined the Hokies for their run last season. Nahiem Alleyne, Justyn Mutts, David N’Guessan and Cattoor appeared in last year’s first round matchup against Florida, while Lynn Kidd recorded minutes with Clemson.

The Hokies have two wins in the East bracket in six attempts after being placed in that region in four of the last five years. Virginia Tech’s last appearance in the East was during the 2019 NCAA Tournament run that saw Tech reach the Sweet 16.

As the Hokies prepare to enter their fifth-consecutive NCAA Tournament, Aluma leads Tech in scoring, averaging 15.8 points per game while shooting 53.4% from the floor. Standing out as one of the country’s more versatile big men, Aluma hauled in 6.5 boards per game and averaged nearly two assists through 35 games so far this season. The 6-foot-9 forward developed a 3-point shot since arriving at Virginia Tech and shot 33.3% from deep this season.

Why Bet on Texas?

Texas (21-11) is not playing well at the moment, losing a third straight game in its Big 12 Tournament opener, 65-60 to TCU – blowing a 20-point first-half lead. Senior Timmy Allen posted a team-high 16 points and nine rebounds. Allen converted 6-of-11 field goals and 4-of-4 free throws and added three steals, two assists and one block in 36 minutes. Five of his nine rebounds came off the offensive glass. Senior Courtney Ramey also reached double figures in scoring with 15 points (6-14 FG, 3-7 threes) and grabbed a season-high nine rebounds to go along with three assists in 37 minutes.

Texas had its seven-game win streak against the Horned Frogs snapped in the loss. UT held the lead for a total time of 28:23, while the Horned Frogs had the lead for a combined time of 4:59.

Allen leads the team in scoring (12.3 ppg), rebounding (6.5 rpg) and steals (40) and ranks second in assists (67) and third in minutes (29.2 mpg). He has converted 50.5-percent (145-287) from the floor and 73-percent (100-137) from the free throw line this year. Allen has reached double figures in scoring 21 times and reached double digits in rebounds three times this season.

This marks the 36th overall appearance by the Longhorns in the NCAA Tournament. UT will make its 20th NCAA Tournament appearance in the last 23 seasons (not including the 2021 postseason which was canceled due to COVID-19) and is just one of eight schools nationally to appear in at least 20 of the last 23 NCAA tourneys.

Chris Beard is 10-4 in his previous four NCAA Tournament appearances. He led Texas Tech to the 2018 Elite Eight and the 2019 NCAA Championship Game. Beard is 4-0 in First Round games in the NCAA Tournament. Beard is a perfect 4-0 in First Round games in the NCAA Tournament.

Texas ranks sixth in the nation in scoring defense (59.6 ppg) entering the NCAA Tournament. UT is a perfect 17-0 this season when holding its opponent below 60 points.

It’s the first-ever meeting between Virginia Tech and Texas.

Game Trends

• Hokies are 4-1-1 ATS in their last 6 games following a straight up win.
• Hokies are 12-3 ATS in their last 15 Friday games.
• Hokies are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 neutral site games.
• Longhorns are 6-18 ATS in their last 24 NCAA Tournament games.
• Longhorns are 0-6 ATS in their last 6 games overall.
• Longhorns are 0-5 ATS in their last 5 games following a ATS loss.
• Longhorns are 0-4 ATS in their last 4 games as a favorite.

Expert Prediction

• Virginia Tech 64, Texas 62

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