Another promising matchup in the opening day of the 2015-16 college basketball season is bound to set your night ablaze, as the Texas Longhorns and the Washington Huskies lock horns at the Mercedez-Benz Arena in Shanghai, China tonight. Which club will kick off their season on a good note?
Read on further for a full breakdown of this high-quality matchup. And for more college basketball previews, click here for Bears vs. Jayhawks and here for Tar Heels vs. Owls.
[sc:MarchMadness ]Texas Longhorns vs. Washington Huskies Preview
Where: Mercedez-Benz Arena, Shanghai
When: Friday, November 13, 10:00 PM ET
Line: Texas Longhorns vs. Washington Huskies – view all NCAA Basketball lines
Betting on the Texas Longhorns (0-0)
The Texas Longhorns began last year as the 10th-ranked team in the AP poll but failed to play like one. They finished 20-14 overall, 8-10 in conference play and were eliminated in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. As a result, the Longhorns made a drastic change by getting a new head coach in Shaka Smart, whose up-tempo approach will now be tested when his team opens up the new season against the Washington Huskies tonight.
[sc:NCAAB240banner ] “Havoc.” That’s the new style of play that the Longhorns will be implementing from now on and they might just have the right pieces to make this work. Myles Turner and Jonathan Holmes are gone but Smart still has the skilled backcourt duo of Isaiah Taylor (13. 1 PPG and 4.6 APG in 2014) and Demarcus Holland (7.1 PPG and 2.4 APG) to lead the offense and provide the much-needed experience.
Furthermore, the Longhorns made sure that scoring points won’t be a struggle again this time around by adding a solid recruiting class that features speedy guard Kerwin Roach and swingman Tevin Mack, who both can create their own shots and have the quickness to fit in very well under Smart’s system.
But the biggest adjustment for Smart could be how to utilize their big men in Cameron Ridley and Prince Ibeh. His high-octane approach could easily tire them out and may eventually compromise their defense and inside game. And for sure, the Huskies will try to capitalize on the latter.
Texas is 4-6 SU and 4-5-1 in its last 10 games.
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Betting on the Washington Huskies (0-0)
This new season could be another tough one to swallow for the Washington Huskies, who finished with the second-worst record (5-13) in the Pac-12 last year. They overhauled almost their entire roster by adding eight new faces, including seven freshmen. The Huskies will search for their new identity when they open their 2015-16 campaign opposite the Texas Longhorns later.
Headlining their new recruits is 6-foot-4 first-year guard Dejounte Murray. Murray has the total package in terms of offense. He stretches the floor with his accurate shooting and has the speed and craftiness to attack the paint. During his senior year in Seattle’s Rainier Beach High, he posted 25 PPG and 12.4 RPG. With averages like those, Murray’s bound make an instant impact for the Huskies.
Meanwhile, their lone senior, Andrew Andrews, will be the one to lead this team and also spell trouble for the Longhorns. Andrews compiled 15.0 PPG, 4.3 RPG, 2.2 APG and 1.4 SPG last season and those numbers are bound to increase with him taking much of the scoring responsibility from now on.
However, the Huskies will need all the contributions they can get on offense as the Longhorns’ defense is not an easy wall to break. They averaged just 60.3 points allowed per game last season, among the fewest in the entire nation.
Washington is 2-8 SU and 4-6 ATS in its last 10 games overall.
Writer’s Prediction
Texas cruises to a 79-57 victory.
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