Texas is still dancing. No matter what anyone said in the regular season or even after Selection Sunday, the Longhorns have stormed their way through the NCAA Tournament, pulling off three upset victories to punch their ticket to the Sweet 16.
Now, the No. 11-seed Texas Longhorns have to take on the No. 2-seed Purdue Boilermakers, and despite the Horns being ranked significantly lower, Purdue isn't expected to run away with the matchup.
Opening odds for (11) Texas vs. (2) Purdue
- Spread: -6.5 Purdue
- Money line: -260 Purdue, +210 Texas
- Over-Under: +/-148.5 points
Odds are from FanDuel Sportsbook and are liable to change at any time.
Even though people argued that the Longhorns didn't even deserve a spot in the bracket, Texas earned its way through the First Four, the First Round, and the Round of 32. Now, the Horns' ability to pull off back-to-back-to-back upsets seems to be paying off in Vegas.
While Purdue will likely be most people's pick to win the game (if they even had Texas making it this far through the tournament), oddsmakers only have the Boilermakers as 6.5-point favorites.
Texas's stars like Matas Vokietaitis, Tramon Mark, and everyone else on the roster have to continue playing their very best ball (which is exactly what the Horns have done so far in the Big Dance) to keep their Cinderella run alive.
While the Horns are fresh off their upset win over the No. 3-seed Gonzaga Bulldogs, the Boilermakers are fresh off their double-digit victory over the No. 7-seed Miami Hurricanes.
Tip-off time and which channel fans can tune into to see the game have yet to be announced, but we do know that No. 11-seed Texas and No. 2-seed Purdue are scheduled to play on Thursday, March 26.