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Texas Basketball vs. UNC: 5 bold predictions for Las Vegas Invitational

By Andrew Miller

AUSTIN, TX - DECEMBER 12: Kerwin Roach Jr. #12 of the Texas Longhorns plays defense against the North Carolina Tar Heels at the Frank Erwin Center on December 12, 2015 in Austin, Texas. (Photo by Chris Covatta/Getty Images)
AUSTIN, TX - DECEMBER 12: Kerwin Roach Jr. #12 of the Texas Longhorns plays defense against the North Carolina Tar Heels at the Frank Erwin Center on December 12, 2015 in Austin, Texas. (Photo by Chris Covatta/Getty Images) /
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AUSTIN, TX – DECEMBER 12: Kerwin Roach Jr. #12 of the Texas Longhorns plays defense against the North Carolina Tar Heels at the Frank Erwin Center on December 12, 2015 in Austin, Texas. (Photo by Chris Covatta/Getty Images)
AUSTIN, TX – DECEMBER 12: Kerwin Roach Jr. #12 of the Texas Longhorns plays defense against the North Carolina Tar Heels at the Frank Erwin Center on December 12, 2015 in Austin, Texas. (Photo by Chris Covatta/Getty Images) /

Texas basketball and the Oklahoma State Cowboys are representing the Big 12 in some big invitational games on Thanksgiving Day 2018.

The biggest battle of the non-conference slate for Texas basketball is almost here. The No. 7 ranked North Carolina Tar Heels awaits Texas basketball (who is getting votes in the AP Poll to fall just outside the top 25) in the first round of the Continental Tire Las Vegas Invitational, which takes place on Thanksgiving Day.

UNC and Texas basketball enter this game with undefeated records. Texas sits at 4-0 after knocking off The Citadel by the final score of 97-69 on Nov. 16. UNC comes in at 5-0 after knocking off St. Francis (PA) by the final score of 101-76. The win over St. Francis (PA) was the first time that the Tar Heels didn’t cover the spread this season.

According to ESPN’ Basketball Power Index Matchup Predictor, the Horns have a 24.8 percent chance to beat the Tar Heels. But, this is going to be UNC’s toughest game so far, possibly barring the matchup against the Stanford Cardinal.

The line for this game hasn’t been officially released yet. By all indications, the Horns are the underdog. This would be the first time all season the Horns were the underdog in terms of the point spread. The closest it came before was an early November matchup against the Arkansas Razorbacks which saw the Horns win by two points in overtime.

The first time that Texas covered the spread all season was in the win over The Citadel. Head Texas basketball coach Shaka Smart saw some uninspiring performances from his team before beating The Citadel.

Texas basketball and UNC tip off on Nov. 22 at 6:30 p.m. CT at Orleans Arena in Las Vegas, NV. The game is televised on FS1. Here’s a look at the five bold predictions as the Texas Longhorns take on the UNC Tar Heels in the Las Vegas Invitational.

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