The Virginia Tech Hokies did the unthinkable last week, completing a stretch of four wins in four days with a convincing victory against top-seeded Duke to win the ACC tournament for the first time. The 11th-seeded Hokies (23-12) hope to continue their run of success in the 2022 NCAA Tournament when they take on the No. 6 seed Texas Longhorns (21-11) on Friday in a first-round game in the East Region. Virginia Tech has lost its opening contest in three of its last four appearances in the "Big Dance" -- including last year, when it dropped a 75-70 overtime decision to Florida in the first round.

Tipoff from the Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee is set for 4:30 p.m. ET. The Longhorns are 1.5-point favorites in the latest Texas vs. Virginia Tech odds at Caesars Sportsbook, while the over-under for total points scored is 125. Before making any Virginia Tech vs. Texas picks, you need to check out the college basketball predictions and betting advice from the SportsLine Projection Model.

The model simulates every Division I college basketball game 10,000 times. Over the past five-plus years, the proprietary computer model has generated an impressive profit of almost $1,500 for $100 players on its top-rated college basketball picks against the spread. Anyone who has followed it has seen huge returns.

Now, the model has set its sights on Texas vs. Virginia Tech, and just locked in its picks and March Madness predictions. You can visit SportsLine now to see the model's picks. Here are the college basketball odds and betting lines for Virginia Tech vs. Texas:

  • Texas vs. Virginia Tech spread: Longhorns -1.5
  • Texas vs. Virginia Tech over-under: 125 points 
  • Texas vs. Virginia Tech money line: Longhorns -130, Hokies +110
  • TEX: The Longhorns are 0-8 against the spread in their last eight NCAA Tournament games as favorites 
  • VT: The Hokies are 2-6 ATS in their last eight NCAA Tournament games

Why Texas can cover

Despite the fact they've lost three straight contests, the Longhorns are among the top defensive teams in the nation. The squad ranks sixth with an average of 59.6 points allowed, as opponents are shooting at a 41.3 percent clip. Offensively, Texas has four players scoring at least 9.5 points per game, with Timmy Allen leading the way with a 12.3 average.

The senior forward led the Longhorns with 16 points in their 65-60 loss to TCU in quarterfinals of the Big 12 Conference tournament and finished one rebound shy of posting his fourth double-double of the season. Courtney Ramey, who is averaging 9.5 points this campaign, nearly registered his first double-double since the 2019-20 season opener as he finished with 15 points and nine boards. The senior guard has scored in double figures in back-to-back contests after eight straight outings with nine or fewer points.

Why Virginia Tech can cover

The Hokies have been on fire since losing six of eight games from Dec. 22-Jan. 26, winning 13 of 15 contests. Their last two victories were against nationally ranked opponents, and both of those triumphs were by double digits. Junior guard Hunter Cattoor is averaging 10 points this season but finished with a career-high 31 in Virginia Tech's triumph against Duke after going 7-for-9 from beyond the arc.

Keve Aluma scored 19 points and pulled down 10 rebounds against the Blue Devils to notch his eighth double-double of the season and second of the ACC tournament. The senior forward notched at least 18 points in each of the Hokies' four games on the conference tournament and has reached double figures in 11 of his last 12 overall contests. Aluma leads Virginia Tech with a career-best average of 15.8 points and has scored at least 20 on nine occasions this campaign.

How to make Texas vs. Virginia Tech picks

SportsLine's model is leaning over on the total, suggesting the teams combine for a total of 135 points. It also says one side of the spread hits well over 60 percent of the time. You can only get the model's Virginia Tech vs. Texas pick at SportsLine.

So who wins Virginia Tech vs. Texas? And which side of the spread hits well over 60 percent of the time? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the Texas vs. Virginia Tech spread to jump on, all from the advanced model that is up almost $1,500 on its top-rated college basketball spread picks over the last five-plus years, and find out.