Texas Longhorns at Oklahoma State Cowboys Betting Preview

Opening Line: Texas -2 / Oklahoma State +2 O/U 152

Time: 9 PM EST Monday February 1, 2010 on ESPN

Tonight in a Big 12 match up the Oklahoma State Cowboys, who have yet to lose at home this season, host the 6th ranked Texas Longhorns. Since Texas became the #1 team in the nation on January 11th the Longhorns have dropped 3 of their last 4 games and are currently 2 games back of Kansas in conference play.

Oklahoma State is 12-0 at home and 9-5-1 ATS and Texas is 3-2 on the road and 8-9 ATS.

In their last games Texas lost to Baylor 80-77 in OT on Saturday night and OSU lost to Missouri 95-80 also on Saturday.

One of the reasons that Texas is struggling is that they are not a good free throw shooting team. Even though the Longhorns are a high scoring team averaging 85.3 ppg they are only shooting 61.8% from the charity stripe this season and in their last 4 games are only shooting 54.1%. Texas has to shoot better from the free throw line, as they are an athletic team that can get the line often.

The Cowboys are led by G James Anderson (22.5 ppg), who is the leading scorer in the Big 12 and has scored in double figures in 35 straight games. He is joined in the backcourt by G Obi Muonelo (12.7 ppg). The Cowboys are led by their backcourt, as they only have one frontcourt player Marshall Moses (10.6 ppg) that is averaging in double figures.

Texas has a great inside-outside game with G/F Damion James (18.2 ppg), G Avery Bradley (12.2 ppg), and C Dexter Pittman (12 ppg).

The Longhorns have a much better frontcourt than the Cowboys do. OSU F Marshall Moses (9.9 rpg) has to play good inside D and keep James (11.3 rpg), who leads the Big 12 in rebounding, and Pittman (6.1 rpg) off the boards and keep them from scoring easy buckets in the paint.

For the Cowboys to win their will have to shoot well from the outside, as they simply do not have the inside game to keep up with the Longhorns.

Texas is a very athletic team that can get out and run and the Cowboys have to try to slow them down.

The Cowboys have won 5 of their last 7 home games against the Longhorns.

Texas is 0-8 ATS in their last 8 games, 0-5 ATS in their last 5 road games, and has an Over record of 5-1 in their last 6 road games. Oklahoma State is 1-4 ATS in their last 5 games as an underdog, 2-6 ATS in their last 8 games as a home underdog of 0.5-6.5, and has an Under record of 8-3 in their last 11 home games. Texas is 1-3-1 in their last 5 games against OSU and in the last 7 games between these 2 teams the total has gone Under.