The seventh-ranked Texas Longhorns look to continue their strong play of late when they meet the No. 23 Seton Hall Pirates on Thursday night. The game will be part of the 2021 Big East-Big 12 Battle. The Longhorns (6-1), who have won five in a row, have outscored opponents by a margin of 23.4 points per game during that stretch. The Pirates (7-1), who are on a four-game winning streak, have had similar success, winning those games by an average of 21.3 points.
The game from Prudential Center in Newark, N.J., is scheduled to tip off at 6:30 p.m. ET. Texas is averaging 76.6 points per game, while Seton Hall averages 82.5. After opening as slight underdogs, the Pirates are now one-point favorites in the latest Texas vs. Seton Hall odds from Caesars Sportsbook, while the over-under for total points scored is set at 133.5. Before locking in any Seton Hall vs. Texas picks, check out the college basketball predictions and betting advice from the SportsLine Projection Model.
The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every Division I college basketball game 10,000 times. Over the past five-plus years, the proprietary computer model has generated an impressive profit of over $2,200 for $100 players on its top-rated college basketball picks against the spread. Anyone who has followed it has seen huge returns.
Now, the model has set its sights on Texas vs. Seton Hall. You can visit SportsLine now to see the picks. Here are the college basketball lines and betting trends for Seton Hall vs. Texas:
- Texas vs. Seton Hall spread: Seton Hall -1
- Texas vs. Seton Hall over-under: 133.5 points
- TEX: The Longhorns are 8-2 against the spread in their last 10 Thursday games
- SH: The Pirates are 4-1 ATS in their last five games following a straight-up win of more than 20 points
Why Texas can cover
Junior forward Tre Mitchell has reached double figures in four games this season, including a season-high 16 against Northern Colorado on Nov. 17. Mitchell, a Preseason All-Big 12 honorable mention selection, has played in 51 career games, including 48 starts during his three seasons at UMass and Texas. He has registered career totals of 863 points, 345 rebounds and 57 blocks, and has reached double figures 45 times, topped the 20-point mark 16 times and recorded five 30-point efforts. Through the Longhorns’ first seven games this season, Mitchell leads the team in blocks (5), is second in rebounding (4.3) and tied for second in scoring (10.1) in 19.3 minutes per game.
Sixth-year senior Andrew Jones has reached double figures in four game as well, including 15 in the 68-44 victory over California Baptist on Nov. 24. He has played in 109 career games, making 71 starts. He has reached double figures in 69 games, topping the 20-point mark 11 times. Jones leads the team in steals (15) is third in assists (16), fourth in scoring (9.7) and fourth in minutes (23.8). He has a 2.29 assist-to-turnover ratio and has converted on 48.1 percent of his field goals, including 40.7 percent from 3-point range.
Why Seton Hall can cover
The Pirates have seven players averaging 8.5 points per game or better, and are led by senior guard Jared Rhoden. Rhoden sees a lot of action and leads the team at 29.7 minutes per game, as well as 17.6 points and 7.4 rebounds. He also averages 1.6 steals and 1.4 assists, and has twice been named to the Big East Conference weekly honor roll this season. Rhoden is an 84 percent free throw shooter this season after winning the Big East free throw shooting title in 2020-21 after connecting on 90.8 percent of his shots from the line in 19 league games.
Also powering Seton Hall is junior forward Tyrese Samuel. Samuel has scored in double figures in four consecutive games and five overall this season. He is coming off a 22-point, 12-rebound performance in 26 minutes of action in a 113-67 win over Nyack College on Saturday. For the year, he is averaging 11.8 points, 6.1 rebounds and one block per game, and is connecting on 55.9 percent of his field goals.
