Halftime Report

Only one more half stands between Texas and the win they were favored to collect coming into this evening. After one quarter their offense has really been able to impose its will, dominating N. Mex. State 52-27.

Texas already has four blowout wins this season, but why stop there? Barring a freak comeback, they will be celebrating another huge victory in the locker room very soon.

Who's Playing

N. Mex. State Aggies @ Texas Longhorns

Current Records: N. Mex. State 4-5, Texas 7-2

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What to Know

If the oddsmakers' predictions hold true, the near future looks bright for Texas. They will look to defend their home court on Thursday against the N. Mex. State Aggies at 8:00 p.m. ET at Moody Center. The Longhorns are strutting in with some offensive muscle as they've averaged 79 points per game this season.

Texas is probably headed into the game with a chip on their shoulder considering UConn just ended the team's seven-game winning streak on Sunday. They fell 76-65 to the Huskies. It was the first time this season that the Longhorns let down their fans at home.

Despite their loss, Texas saw several players rise to the challenge and make noteworthy plays. Tre Johnson, who had 24 points plus three steals, was perhaps the best of all. Johnson had some trouble finding his footing against North Carolina State last Wednesday, so this was a step in the right direction. Arthur Kaluma was another key player, almost dropping a double-double on 20 points and nine rebounds.

Texas struggled to work together and finished the game with only eight assists. That's the fewest assists they've managed all season.

Meanwhile, it may have taken overtime to finish the job, but N. Mex. State ultimately got the result they hoped for on Saturday. They came out on top against New Mexico by a score of 89-83. The Aggies' win was a heroic effort that saw the team overcome a 19.5 point disadvantage in the spread.

N. Mex. State got their victory on the backs of several key players, but it was Christian Cook out in front who went 6 for 9 from beyond the arc en route to 27 points plus five rebounds. Those six threes gave Cook a new career-high. The team also got some help courtesy of Robert Carpenter, who posted 20 points in addition to eight rebounds and two steals.

Texas' defeat ended an eight-game streak of wins at home dating back to last season and dropped them to 7-2. As for N. Mex. State, the win snapped their losing streak at five games and leaves them with a 4-5 record.

This contest is shaping up to be a blowout: Texas has been crazy accurate this season, having made 49.2% of their field goals per game. It's a different story for N. Mex. State, though, as they've only made 41.1% of their field goals this season. Given Texas' sizable advantage in that area, N. Mex. State will need to find a way to close that gap.

Odds

Texas is a big 20.5-point favorite against N. Mex. State, according to the latest college basketball odds.

The oddsmakers were right in line with the betting community on this one, as the game opened as a 20.5-point spread, and stayed right there.


The over/under is 139 points.

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