Penn State vs. Texas Predictions, Odds, Props: Can Nittany Lions Continue Their Cinderella Run?

The Round of 32 tips off today, and although there will be fewer games to watch, the competition should get better, especially in the Midwest division. The No. 10 seed Penn State Nittany Lions will take on the No. 2 seeded Texas Longhorns. This will be an exciting second-round matchup, and we are here to break down Penn State vs. Texas predictions, odds, and props.

Penn State throttled Texas A&M on Thursday to reach this point, and this is already the furthest the Penn State basketball program has gone in the tournament since 2010-2011, which was the last time the Nittany Lions received an invitation to the dance. On the other side, Texas took care of business against Colgate, and with the field starting to thin out, the Longhorns may be primed for a National Championship run.

Even if you don’t like either of these teams, you can still place a wager on the game to make it more exciting. If you need help picking a side, we have got you covered.

Penn State vs. Texas March Madness Betting Odds: Spread, Moneyline, Total

When you go to make your Penn State vs. Texas picks, make sure you know the odds and lines from all the sportsbooks available to you. This way, you can ensure that you are getting the best possible number for your wager, and doing this will also make you aware of all of the top March Madness bonus offers from each sportsbook. This is an excellent way to build your bankroll for this weekend, so you can have action littered all around the board.

Here, we have included the Penn State vs. Texas odds from some of our favorite mobile sportsbooks.

Penn State vs. Texas Betting Trends

Penn State

• Penn State is 5-0 against the spread (ATS) in its last five games
• Penn State is 6-1 straight up (SU) in its last seven games
• Penn State is 9-0 ATS in its last nine when playing as the underdog
• Penn State is 12-1 ATS in its last 13 games played in March

Texas

• Texas 6-0 ATS in its last six games
• The total has gone Under in six of Texas’ last six games
• The total has gone Over in four of Texas’ last five games against the Big Ten
• Texas is 5-0 ATS in its last five when playing as the favorite

Read more: March Madness odds

Penn State Nittany Lions Betting Overview (23-13, 22-13-1 ATS)

Penn State finished ninth in the Big Ten regular season standings, yet here they are.

They have gotten here with an offensive-minded team. Against Texas A&M, Penn State shot 59.1% from deep, and for the season, they rank fifth in three-point shooting percentage (39%), and they are making the third-most threes per game (10.5).

They can be so effective on offense because the offense is filled with space-creators, and Jalen Pickett, who was named a Second-Team All-American, is putting up 17.9 points per game and is shooting 38.5% from deep. Players like Andrew Funk, Seth Lundy, and Camren Wynter are all shooting above 40% from deep this season, giving this Nittany Lions offense a well-stocked arsenal of weapons.

Defensively, Penn State ranks 95th in KenPom‘s Adjusted Defensive Efficiency Rating, but they are athletic enough to be able to cover the entire court, and they are going to need it because, unlike Penn State, Texas can score at all three levels.

Texas Longhorns Betting Overview (27-8, 18-17 ATS)

For as much hype as Texas had coming into the season, they have responded to some mid-season issues that would derail most teams. However, the Longhorns are just a great team on both ends of the court.

They fall into that magical realm of being ranked inside the top 20 in KenPom’s Adjusted Offensive and Defensive Efficiency Ratings. They are the Big 12 Champions, demolishing Kansas by 20 in the Big 12 Championship game, and they are great at scoring and defending at all three layers of the court.

Offensively, they shoot 47% from the field and are ranked 53rd in effective field goal percentage (53.1%). While they do not shoot many threes, Marcus Carr and Sir’Jabari Rice are shooting 37% from beyond the arc. This offense hurts you with its depth, as nine players average over 10 minutes per game, and the majority of them play good defense.

For the Longhorns, this game will come down to how they defend the three-point line. They are shaky at times, allowing teams to shoot 32.4% from deep, but they only allow 6.4 made threes per game. They defend that part of the court so well that teams cannot get a three-point shot off, and if that happens to Penn State, this game will get ugly.

Penn State vs. Texas Prediction

Penn State is scorching hot right now, but this is an awful matchup for the Nittany Lions. While betting against one of the best three-point shooting teams in March Madness is just asking for a losing bet, Texas does everything that Penn State does well (except shoot threes), and they do it at a much more efficient clip.

At some point, Penn State’s hot streak is coming to an end. They do not have the size to go on a legitimate run, play in a tough division in the bracket, and this might possibly be the worst draw for them in the Round of 32.

I like this Penn State team a lot; they have made me a lot of money this season. However, the magical ride ends with a Longhorns victory.

Pick: Texas -5.5 via DraftKings Sportsbook

Penn State vs. Texas Prop Bet Prediction

Andrew Funk Over 12.5 Points (-115, DraftKings)

Funk has been a monster for the Nittany Lions in March. In his last five games, he is putting up 15.6 points per game and draining 3.8 three-pointers on 7.6 attempts per night. While he would only cash this prop three times in that span, he is putting up the shots, and that is all you can ask for when taking a player’s points prop.

Texas does defend from outside well, but watching Penn State all season, they will have open shots, and Funk is usually the man with the ball when it happens. If you also believe that Texas will win, that will cause desperation from Penn State, and the three-pointers will be hucked up at a hilarious rate.

Simply put, Funk is on another planet right now, especially in the last game against Texas A&M, when he put up 27 points on a blistering 80% from deep.

How to Watch Penn State vs. Texas

Date: Saturday, March 18, 2023

Tipoff: 7:45 p.m. ET 

Location: Wells Fargo Arena — Des Moines, IA

Where to Watch: CBS