Texas vs. Michigan

You can't teach height and Texas has it, with a monster frontcourt. 6-9 285-lb sophomore Cameron Ridley (11 ppg, 8.2 rpg) and 6-8 junior Jonathon Holmes (12.9 ppg, 7 rpg) are wide bodies in the low post helping Texas to be #1 in the Big 12 in rebounds. The defense is tops in field goal defense in the conference (40% shooting allowed) and fourth in scoring defense, all of which will come in handy in March play. They come off a close win, but Texas outscored Arizona State 42-30 in the paint as the Longhorns shot 65.6% in the paint. The Longhorns are 7-1 ATS against the Big Ten and face a Michigan team that is athletic and skilled on offense, but small up front - and that will be a big problem against BIG Texas. That weakness was exposed in the Big 10 title game as Michigan State shot 50% and killed Michigan inside with a 38-28 rebound edge. Michigan won the opener against Wofford, but the Wolverines are 3-8 ATS in their last 11 games following a win. This is a great matchup edge for the underdog. Take Texas.