Syracuse vs. Texas prediction: College basketball odds, picks, best bets Thursday

The UKG Legends classic kicks off with a matchup between the Syracuse Orange and the Texas Longhorns.

While Syracuse is undefeated, it is still searching for an identity after all three wins have been close calls against Le Moyne, Colgate and Youngstown State.

On the other hand, Texas dropped its first game to a tough Ohio State squad but has since handled business with three consecutive double-digit wins over bottom-dwelling opponents.

What can we expect from this matchup?

Syracuse vs. Texas odds

(7 p.m. ET, ESPN)

Syracuse vs. Texas prediction

A lot has changed for the Orange since the Jim Boeheim days. 

For one, Syracuse does not lean on its infamous 2-3 zone, defending man-to-man on nearly every possession.

Additionally, the Orange are a much faster team under head coach Adrian Autry than they were with Boeheim at the helm.

They rank 50th in adjusted tempo (KenPom) this season and were 39th in that same metric during the 2023-24 campaign.

Syracuse put together a respectable 2023-24 season, going 20-12 and finishing sixth in the ACC. 

Overall, It was a down year for the conference, but the Orange had some bright moments.

To put Syracuse’s close calls in context, UConn beat Le Moyne by 41 points and Colgate dropped a game by 23 points to an N.C. State team that lost four of its top five scorers from its Cinderella team last season.

Meanwhile, the Longhorns rank in the top 30 in adjusted offensive and defensive efficiencies this season and have posted 89 or more points in their past three outings.

They should have enough firepower to make some noise in the SEC, which currently has 12 teams in KenPom’s top 50 in adjusted efficiency margin.

Frankly, I see a lot of potential for a blowout in this game, with the Orange’s defense being a notable issue.

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Syracuse vs Texas pick

Syracuse ranks 174th in adjusted defensive efficiency (KenPom), 233rd in opponent effective field goal percentage and 308th in opponent points per game despite not playing a single team ranked in the top half of KenPom’s adjusted efficiency margin metric nationally.

The only way I see the Orange keeping this game close is if JJ Starling (21.3 PPG, 55.6% shooting) goes nuclear, which is possible.

However, the Longhorns have several defenders they can throw his way, changing their looks and schemes on that end of the floor throughout the game to keep him out of rhythm.

Texas is in a good spot here to get its first quality win via a double-digit pummeling.

THE PICK: Texas -11 (-112, DraftKings)

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Andrew Norton handicaps the NBA, WNBA, NFL, college basketball and football, UFC and golf. During the 2022-23 NBA season, he achieved a standout 14.1% ROI, cashing 60% of his NBA spread picks and leading Tallysight in its SportsIQ metric.