The Texas Longhorns have been a popular pick to win the NCAA Tournament and have remained one of the top teams in the country all season long. But the Longhorns have an interesting Round of 32 matchup on Saturday night against a red-hot Penn State Nittany Lions team that has the shot-making ability to stick with any team in the country. Bettors are lining up their top plays for the Penn State-Texas game, and OddsShopper is here to help with one Sir’Jabari Rice player prop to lock in.
Best Penn State-Texas Bet: Fade Sir’Jabari Rice in March Madness?
OddsShopper Premium has highlighted the under 14.5 Sir’Jabari Rice points (+100 on PointsBet Sportsbook) rated as a top play in the Penn State-Texas game. Models give the under a 56% chance of hitting, making for an ROI of 12%. Those looking for more top March Madness bets can benefit from a free seven-day trial to OddsShopper Premium!
Rice enters the Round of 32 being as aggressive offensively as he has all season. He averaged 12.9 points per game during the season but has 40 points combined in his last two games, including a 23-point game in the win over Colgate in the first round. The sixth man has proved to be a spark plug in the Texas offense and had his most impressive shooting performance of the season when pouring in seven 3-pointers in the Colgate game. He admitted after the game that he can’t pinpoint the last time he felt that locked in from 3-point range.
“I scored 50 in a game in high school once,” Rice told reporters Thursday evening at the Wells Fago Arena, per SI. “I may have hit seven or eight threes that game, but you didn’t really keep track of things like that then.”
While Rice was the main standout, the Longhorns drained 13 3’s (a Texas postseason record) in the game. The Nittany Lions boast their own shooting prowess, with Andrew Funk leading the way with eight 3-pointers in the dominant 76-59 win over Texas A&M in the first round. It marked the first time Penn State has won an NCAA Tournament game since the 2002 season.
Look for both Texas and Penn State to take a small step back from the shooting showcased in the first round, making for some opportunities for bettors to take advantage of inflated lines at sportsbooks. Mainly, the under 14.5 points for Sir’Jabari Rice stands out as a strong play.
Bettors can use OddsShopper tools to find the best value for the remainder of the NCAA Tournament!
