As Charles Barkley, Adam Zucker, and the rest of the CBS studio crew broke down the first half of the Duke versus TCU second-round game, the conversation turned to a... unique new feature.
Old Ball, an animatronic, weathered basketball, shared its thoughts on the tournament so far, and that included Seth Davis asking it about none other than the Texas Longhorns, who were about to tip off against the Gonzaga Bulldogs.
Davis shared that he has two sons attending the University of Texas and asked Old Ball, who the crew lovingly referred to as "O.B.," who he thought would win.
More and more 'experts' siding with Horns over Zags
Old Ball, an obviously reliable source for basketball wisdom, said that he believed the Horns could pull off the upset, continuing to fuel the hopes and dreams of Texas fans across the country.
While he might have a horrifying outward appearance, even while wearing his Cinderella-inspired tiara during the segment, his belief in Texas's own Cinderella run could be exactly what the Longhorns needed before taking on the powerhouse Bulldogs.
Who's winning it all?
— CBS Sports (@CBSSports) March 21, 2026
Is Seth's area of the desk clean?
Where is he from?
Old Ball is back to answer the important questions. pic.twitter.com/EwPu0Zyj4S
Final odds for (11) Texas vs. (3) Gonzaga
- Spread: -6.5 Gonzaga
- Money line: -265 Gonzaga, +215 Texas
- Over-Under: 147.5 points
Odds are from FanDuel Sportsbook and are liable to change at any time.
When Old Ball made his prediction, the Bulldogs were still 6.5-point favorites over the Longhorns, with the over-under set at just 147.5 total points.
Player specific odds for Longhorns vs. Bulldogs
- Dailyn Swain (TEX): +/-16.5 points
- Tramon Mark (TEX): +/-14.5 points
- Matas Vokietaitis (TEX): +/-14.5 points
- Jordan Pope (TEX): +/-13.5 points
- Graham Ike (GONZ): +/-20.5 points
- Tyon Grant-Foster (GONZ): +/-11.5 points
- Mario Saint-Supry (GONZ): +/-11.5 points
- Davis Fogle (GONZ): +/-10.5 points
The usual suspects, from both teams, are expected to carry the scoring load with Dailyn Swain, Tramon Mark, Matas Vokietaitis, and Jordan Pope leading the charge for the Horns.
If Texas head coach Sean Miller and his players can figure out how to shut down Gonzaga's star, Graham Ike, then the Longhorns could make this matchup a lot closer than anybody is expecting (except, of course, for Old Ball).
No. 11-seed Texas and No. 3-seed Gonzaga are scheduled to tip off at 6:10 p.m. ET on Saturday, March 21, and the game will be aired on TNT and truTV.