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Miami vs. Texas Prop Picks: Will the Last Elite 8 Game in March Madness be a Track Meet?

Brenden Schaeffer

Last Updated: March 26, 2023 3:14 PM EDT • 2 min 49 sec read.

Tyrese Hunter of the Texas Longhorns reacts after scoring against the Xavier Musketeers during the first half in the Sweet 16 round.
Tyrese Hunter of the Texas Longhorns reacts after scoring against the Xavier Musketeers during the first half in the Sweet 16 round. Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images/AFP.

Texas might be the one team remaining with the chops to thwart UConn’s title hopes. But could the Hurricanes spoil the opportunity before the Longhorns ever meet the Huskies? Here are our best Miami vs. Texas prop picks based on the top NCAAB odds.

UConn’s dominating performance during Saturday’s Elite Eight win over Gonzaga has made many believe the Huskies are destined to cut down the nets in a little over a week.

Don’t tell Texas and Miami, though, as the two sides must vie Sunday afternoon for a crack at Connecticut. Could Sunday evening in Kansas City feature a track meet for the ages?

Here are our best Miami vs. Texas Elite Eight prop bets (odds via DraftKings Sportsbook and FanDuel Sportsbook; Pick confidence is based on a 1-to-5 star scale).

Miami vs. Texas odds

Miami vs. Texas prop picks

  • Tyrese Hunter Over 11.5 points (-111 via FanDuel) ⭐⭐⭐⭐
  • Isaiah Wong Over 1.5 3-pointers (+135 via DraftKings)⭐⭐⭐
  • Miami team total: Over 72.5 points (-118 via FanDuel) ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Miami vs. Texas prop predictions

Hunter Over 11.5 points (-111) ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Tyrese Hunter’s 10.5-point total ahead of Texas’ Sweet 16 matchup against Xavier seemed awfully low at first. Sure enough, Hunter poured in a team-high 19 during the Longhorns' rout of the Musketeers.

The ante has been raised slightly on the sophomore guard Sunday, as he’s looking to clear 11.5 points. Though Hunter hadn’t scored on that level since the Big 12 tournament quarterfinals against Xavier, I believe Friday’s performance put him back on track.

Hunter averages slightly below this line at 10.4 points per game. However, he produced a stretch to close the regular season when Hunter delivered four straight 13-plus point outings, with all of those games coming against ranked competition. That type of run instills confidence in his output on Sunday against a Miami group that entered the tournament with one of the worst-adjusted defensive efficiencies in the field.

Check out our Miami-Texas picks.

Wong Over 1.5 3-Pointers (+135) ⭐⭐⭐

The Longhorns are allowing 32.5% of their opponents’ 3-point attempts to rip through the net (88th in Division I). Miami could need to exceed its average of 7.7 made threes per contest to keep pace, so Texas’ relatively forgiving nature to opposing outside shooting could play a factor. 

I’m eyeing junior Hurricanes guard Isaiah Wong to make Texas pay from deep, and he's getting juicy +135 odds at DraftKings on Over 1.5 made threes. Wong is shooting over 50% from 3-point range during the tournament, going 5-for-9. He hoisted just two attempts against Houston’s No. 2 perimeter defense in the nation during the Sweet 16 on Friday, knocking down one triple.

Texas’ 3-point defense more closely resembles Indiana’s effort, and Wong burned the Hoosiers with four made threes on six attempts. Stick with DraftKings rather than the bland +100 odds for Over 2 threes at FanDuel.

Check out our March Madness odds.

Miami Over 72.5 points (-118) ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Although Texas boasts the 10th-ranked adjusted defensive efficiency in the country, according to KenPom, the Longhorns will likely be forced to win a track meet against the Hurricanes if they aim to advance to the Final Four.

With the sixth-best adjusted offensive efficiency in the nation but a defense that lags behind, Miami profiles similarly to the Xavier team that Texas just beat. Even as the Musketeers fell notably short of their season-average 49.2% field-goal rate in that game, Xavier still managed to push its scoring to 71. 

The Canes have been unstoppable recently, posting point totals of 85 and 89 in their last two games. Both sides in this matchup deploy adjusted tempos among the top 100 in college basketball, so the game script should allow Miami to score into the 70s, win or lose.

We’ll take the lesser odds with FanDuel's line at 72.5 points rather than pushing for the DraftKings line of 73.5 (-105).

Check out our Elite 8 prop picks.

Miami-Texas prop picks made 3/26/2023 at 2:28 a.m. ET. 

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Written By:
Brenden Schaeffer
Since graduating from the University of Missouri in 2016, Brenden Schaeffer has covered the St. Louis Cardinals and Blues hockey as a writer for KMOV in St. Louis. He also co-hosts 'The Big Show' on KTGR radio in Columbia, Missouri. The show airs in afternoon drive, weekdays from 4-6 p.m. Brenden has contributed to SBR since 2021, providing insights on NFL, NCAAF, NCAAB, and the NBA. You can download his daily baseball podcast, B-Schaeff Daily, on Spotify or Apple podcasts, and you can find Brenden across social media @bschaeffer12.