NCAA March Madness: Longhorns vs. Colgate - Preview, How to Watch, Betting Odds

The Texas Longhorns and Colgate Raiders get set for a March Madness battle in the Round of 64 of the NCAA Tournament on Thursday.

DES MOINES, IOWA - The Texas Longhorns will square off with the Colgate Raiders in the Round of 64 of the NCAA Tournament in Des Moines, Iowa at Wells Fargo Arena on Thursday, marking the first all-time meeting between the two programs.

The second-seeded Longhorns, tournament champions of the Big 12 Conference, have emerged as one of the favorites to bring down the confetti on Monday, April 3 after a strong late-season push. But first they'll have to pass the not-so-easy test that 15th-seeded Colgate presents, as the Patriot League regular-season and tournament champs are a team that has the tools to pull off the upset.

A historical program that has its first season on record dating back to 1900, Colgate has seen some of its most memorable success occur within the past handful of seasons under coach Matt Langel, who is now set to lead the Raiders to their fourth NCAA Tournament appearance in the past five seasons. Colgate had made it to the Big Dance just twice in its history before Langel's arrival.

And this season has been arguably the best ever for the team, as the Raiders head into the tournament already with the most wins (26) and conference wins (17) in program history.

Look no further than their elite and efficient offense as a major reason why.

Colgate is second in the country in:

- field goal percent (51.4)

- effective field goal percentage (.585)

- assists/turnover ratio (1.82)

And third in the country in:

- assists per game (18.6)

- total assists (631)

The Longhorns will how their work cut out for them, even though the betting lines may not agree.

Game Information: NCAA Tournament Round of 64 - No. 2 Texas Longhorns vs. No. 15 Colgate Raiders

Date/Time: Thursday, March 16 at 6:25 p.m CT

Where: Wells Fargo Arena (Des Moines, Iowa)

Betting Via SI Sportsbook: Texas -13.5

Moneyline: Texas -1099, Colgate +650

Over/Under: 147.5

TV/Streaming: TBS

Radio: Longhorn IMG Radio Network/104.9 The Horn (Austin Flagship)

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You can follow Zach Dimmitt on Twitter at @ZachDimmitt7

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